Heartfelt Sacrifices
by LeaNicolaie
Summary: Kaname knows he has lost something precious, something he held more dear to him than his life, but he has no recollection of what it could be. Will an innocent party invitation change things? KanameZero
1. So I'll Go

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

**_So I'll Go_**

_If I should stay,  
I would only be in your way  
So I'll go, but I know,  
I'll think of you every step of the way…_

He thought if only they could keep this a secret, hidden and tucked away between the folds of their mind and heart, everything would be fine. If no one knew, they wouldn't have to trouble themselves thinking whether to accept it or not and in doing so, also having to decide their political standing which also affected their family relations. It was like a domino affect with the pieces just getting bigger as more of them fell until all came crashing down with the last piece.

If no one knew, they wouldn't have to be hurt.

But the longer they had to keep it hidden, like a shameful secret, for that was indeed what this was, the more it hurt him. And the more it hurt him, meeting his eyes became more difficult, smiling genuinely became harder, feeling joy at his presence became tainted with the pain that never seemed to cease.

Some thought a secret affair was romantic, exciting, thrilling. When would the time come for things to be discovered? Would their feelings be strong enough to stand any adversity that came their way? He heard enough girls squeal about it to make him sick.

Secret affairs weren't romantic or exciting or thrilling. It was just painful. So painful it was all he could do to try to breathe properly.

Like now.

Hissing air between his lips and pearly white teeth, he ignored the insistent screams at the back of his mind telling him he was making the biggest mistake of his life and that he should stop this now. Even his body was rebelling against him, his chest aching with a pain that was nearly unbearable, spreading to his throat with a burning intensity that threatened to stop his airflow and choke him altogether.

But he needed, _needed_ to do this. It was the only way to end things quietly. Instincts or emotions didn't matter. He was working on logic and reality, telling him if he didn't do this, the end result of the path they'd been planning to pursue would've had dire consequences.

He was someone easily submissive to his emotions, but he could easily override them when it came to him, the other counterpart involved in this 'affair' – if it could even be considered such – and what was best for him.

Before things had gotten so out of control, he'd loved _her_. Loved her with everything he had. Yes, he thought bitterly, everything. It just showed how much blood bonds could twist your own emotions around.

And after this, he would go back to loving her, as he should. There should have been no room for someone like him to interfere in the possibilities that lay between the two, none. He'd been alone since four years ago and that shouldn't have changed.

Letting out a silent gasping sigh, he finished the last symbol, his hand trembling around the brush coated with his blood. He let out a smile that felt anything but victorious and slowly walked towards the figure sleeping in the middle of the bed. Setting himself down silently, he reached out to gently stroke a smooth pale cheek, the ache in his chest growing impossibly stronger as he gazed down at the beautiful face below him.

"Mm…Zero?"

"Ssh, it's okay, go back to sleep, Kaname. Everything will be fine." Yes, everything will go back to the way it was supposed to be by tomorrow.

"You look tired, Zero…" Sleepy wine red eyes looked up with a sliver of concern.

"I'll promise to sleep more, alright? You nag," Zero laughed, but was unable to keep the tremble from his voice.

"Mm, yes. Love you…" The pureblood whispered as he closed his eyes, too exhausted to recognize the small negative signs he normally would have no trouble seeing.

Zero nodded stiffly, "I know Kaname," and this time, he couldn't keep his voice from breaking.

But you never would have if not for this bond and you never should have.

Clapping his palms together, he spoke the keywords needed to activate the blood seals before his lost his nerve or Kaname caught onto what he might be doing.

_"Just say those two words after you're done without any hesitance or spot of doubt in your heart and everything should be fine."_

Everything should be fine…

"Heartfelt Sacrifices!"

_Bittersweet memories  
That is all I'm taking with me.  
So goodbye, please don't cry  
We both know I'm not what you, you need…_

"Zero are you ready?" Jamie softly murmured. He couldn't help but think the child had made a life altering decision with way too much haste, his pure untainted love for the pureblood who'd been (past tense now) equally as smitten only furthering that haste and had resulted in the present circumstances.

"…Yes."

"Take as long as you need, Child. We need not hurry so soon."

"I told you not to call me that," the young vampire groused.

Jamie laughed softly, the sound not unlike soothing bells to Zero's ears, and gently cupped Zero's cheeks, "You're going to be, my dear, you might as well get used to it now."

"Don't call me that either."

Jamie playfully stuck out his lip, "But you are a dear. If not that, then do you prefer darling? What about sweetie?"

Zero's Glare of Death was back and currently in full effect, but it failed to bring out any desirable results, merely making Jamie more amused.

"You're adorable when angry, Zero, I'm sure your soon to be brothers and sisters would love that as well." He chirped.

Zero grimaced. Jamie just sounded like the chairman. As if perfectly following his train of thought, Jamie smiled, "They both love you, you know this. They'll also miss you something fierce. I can see their tears."

Zero narrowed his eyes, easily able to see both the chairman and Yuuki (her love would now be returned, as it should've been) shedding tears when finding out about his departure and couldn't help the slight bit of guilt that welled up at only leaving them a short note. "You're here to take me, not make me stay!"

"Yes, I am. Hold on tightly to my hand, Child."

And they were off.

_I hope life treats you kind  
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of…  
And I wish to you, joy and happiness,  
But above all this, I wish you love…_

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights. No own I Will Always Love You lyrics either.

Uh, I think some parts may have been a bit confusing...sorry if that's the case. *scratches cheek sheepishly* Well, the gist of it is, Zero breaks things off with Kaname and, well...leaves...*runs from an enraged inner fangirl*

This is just a little something that may turn out to be a bit more depending on the readers' general opinion and my own whims. But if I decide it's not going anywhere, I'll just delete it, so no worries. Either that, or someone else can take up the reigns *shrugs*


	2. Seal Crafter

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

**_Seal Crafter_**

"We'll stop by here for tonight and set off again tomorrow." Jamie smiled sympathetically at an exhausted looking Zero. Seal traveling always took a lot out of first-timers.

With only a comfortable bed and warm blankets on his mind, Zero just nodded absently and sighed as he lied back on the nearest one to the door, kicking his shoes off, groaning as he tilted his head up and tried to get in a comfortable position. Feeling a soft slender hand on his forehead, he turned to give a half-hearted glare.

"What?"

"You will not be able to gain sufficient enough energy by tomorrow at this rate, Zero," Jamie commented quietly, his eyes solemn.

Zero's brows lowered and he clenched his teeth, noting how they ached with an instinctual need for blood, his body wanting for proper nourishment to regain its strength. But he'd only ever had Yuuki and Kaname's blood, and was wary of taking anyone else's.

Understanding his doubts, Jamie smiled, "I know you're not comfortable, but you need this, I don't want you to pass out into a coma before we even get to my home. My children are all excited to meet their new sibling.

"I also know my blood will be different from what you're used to, but it will just be for tonight before you'll be a part of our family and you will no longer need to worry over such trivial matters."

"It's not trivial," Zero muttered. He had more than a little difficulty learning to take blood on a regular basis without feeling like an utter abomination (he still felt like one, just resigned) and now that his body was accustomed to Kaname's pure blood… Damn it, he clenched his fist; he hated the way his body automatically reacted to the simple thought of taking Kaname's blood. But, Zero bit his lip, trying to refrain from clutching his chest, it somehow also knew it wouldn't be enjoying any more of it and was calling out for it with even stronger bursts of longing than it ever dared.

Gasping, Zero turned on his side and curled his legs towards his chest, squeezing his eyes shut. No, please… He promised himself he'd try to forget that part of his life as soon as he could. Ugh…

"Kaname…" Crap. He hoped he hadn't said that aloud. He sounded pathetic. But just the thought of his name brought forth a barrage of memories made during stolen moments in secluded corners and the soft dark safety of deserted rooms.

_"Love you..."_ Kaname's last words to him rang painfully in his mind.

Breathing in sharply, Zero pressed a hand to his mouth, trembling, unable to stop himself from remembering warm familiar lips lifted in a gentle, affectionate smile and dark wine red eyes alight with love, _love_ for _him_, even if it had been forced by a one-sided blood bond.

The blood bond.

Zero's eyes dulled as he remembered. The blood bond had been the one solely responsible for Kaname's feelings. It couldn't possibly be anything else. It'd…it'd changed Kaname so much he'd…he'd thought he _loved_ Zero. But the ex-human knew better, especially when he compared how Kaname used to be to how he was now right up until Zero had activated the blood seals.

_None…none_ of it had been real, except for his own feelings that had grown over time along with the terrible pain he still felt. Zero almost wished he'd also been under the control of the bond, but immediately discarded the thought. Like hell he'd let a fucking bond take the credit for all the love that he felt. At least Zero knew, was more than aware, his own feelings were his own, unmitigated and completely genuine. He was in love with Kaname because he wanted to be, not because he was forced to be.

But that was what made the pain more unbearably clear. Take the blood bond away, and Zero knew there wasn't a chance in hell his feelings now would ever be genuinely returned. It was different from knowing Yuuki would always choose Kaname over him. Much different.

He'd foolishly let himself have a taste of what it was like to be loved so wholly and completely by another person. To be thought of first and last, from the moment they woke to the moment they closed their eyes. For them to feel elated with just a positive reaction from him, a glance from his eyes, a small smile… And Kaname had, a slave to the bond that'd tied them forcibly together.

And Zero's starved little heart had taken it all with both hands until their grip became so strong it refused to let go. So what if it might not be real, a part of him had argued, it sure felt like it. Kuran Kaname was in love with them and no one else, why couldn't they choose to bask in that, even for a while, before the pureblood came to his senses? For he would, one day, even that part of him knew. Nothing this wonderful could possibly last forever.

It was due to the bond that he had Kaname's love, care, and protection. Of course he'd agonized over whether to voluntarily give that up. Months of preparation went into making that day he left a reality, months of indecision and being in a constant state of tortured confusion. But he'd been selfish enough, being on the receiving end of Kaname's nurturing attention during the duration of the bond and he was disgusted with himself for even wishing to keep Kaname strapped down like he was, to an ex-human like himself and to artificial feelings and thoughts that weren't even his own.

Wasn't that like a violation of the deepest kind?

That question had been like a bucket of ice-cold water and Zero had immediately known what he should choose; should have chosen to do the moment he realized on the bond. He should have put more effort into looking for a solution, never should have allowed time for things to escalate where he started to feel this strongly.

What could Kaname ever gain from him anyway?

Zero was always taking things, from Ichiru, from Yuuki, from the chairman, from his teacher, from Kaname. The least he could do was give Kaname his freedom. Freedom to choose whomever he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He'd already felt pain during the bond, knowing Kaname's feelings weren't really his own, adding more to that wouldn't make much of a difference. He'd dealt with the loss of his family; he could deal with the loss of another loved one. At least Kaname wasn't dead. He'd be free of the bond, free from Zero, and able to pursue whatever he so wished, which he'd better end up happy with.

_But it's not like you're ever going to see him again anyway._

Shut up! Shut up, shut up, _shut up_! He knew that! He knew that after today, Kaname would never remember him as anything more than a boy to be pitied for losing his family the way he did and an extra baggage for Yuuki to worry over.

Everything would be as it should be—

Zero's eyes snapped open at literally having ice-cold water poured over his head. He looked up to see Jamie glaring down at him, his eyes glowing with cool anger, and his lips in a stiff smile.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes, dear one, I'd appreciate it if you didn't go into one of your brooding sessions while you obviously need rest and a good meal."

He pushed back Zero's wet bangs off his forehead, getting a clearer view of his face, "You're tired and exhausted. Of course you'd be emotionally vulnerable. But even after some sleep and something to fill your stomach you still feel like digging yourself a mental hole to crawl into, I won't stop you. Dig it as deep as you want. I'll always pull you back out if it gets so deep I hardly see you." Jamie smiled gently, his voice tender.

"…You sound so confident." Zero muttered, slowly closing his stinging eyes, lest he let the other see the wet sheen in them. This was one of the reasons why he felt so comfortable around Jamie. His accepting nature. In a way, it reminded him much of Yuuki, though not even she could boast with full assurance about pulling him out of his usual moody dispositions and she'd certainly never encourage him to 'dig' as much as he wanted.

"I have my ways, Child. Now keep those lovely eyes of yours open just for a few more minutes." Jamie requested, as he easily sliced his wrist and placed it by Zero's lips.

Zero's nostrils flared, as did his bloodlust upon smelling Jamie's potent blood. His lips had parted before he knew what he was doing and had latched onto Jamie's slender pale wrist, his fangs piercing the soft skin like a heated knife through butter.

Jamie only smiled cheerily as a pair of lilac eyes glared up at him. He wondered if the boy was aware he'd slightly increased his instincts right then to push Zero to drink without wasting anymore time. The boy needed more than a simple nap after this if he was going to make it through the next seal to his home without keeling over in a dead faint. Asian vampires were so fragile…but soon Zero would be one of his, and he'd be an Asian vampire no longer. Jamie couldn't wait. Zero had such potential…

Zero had to hold in a growl as he sucked helplessly at the older vampire's wrist. Damn it, he just knew Jamie did something. He had more control than this. He'd noticed, however, that although Jamie's blood did taste different, it was no less delicious than Yuuki's or even Kaname's. He wondered if every powerful European vampire tasted this way.

Kaname's was thick and rich, the first time he'd drank from him, Zero thought his throat was burning, the inherent power nearly overflowing in every drop. Jamie's was a lot easier to take in, more…gentle, if Zero were to describe it with any characteristics. Gentle and soothing with an undercurrent of spice that let the drinker know Jamie wasn't all smiles and soft cotton filling.

"There's, it feels like there's something in it, is that your magic?" Zero asked lowly, licking his lips.

Glad Zero wasn't so focused on his self-imagined misery, Jamie hummed, "Mm, I'm surprised to see you can feel that. I try to keep it down." He pulled his sleeve over his hand to get some of the crimson liquid from the corner of Zero's lips. "I told you vampires of every continent were different and it's very evident in our blood."

Zero nodded. When he'd first met Jamie that was one of the first things he'd been drilled on. Vampires from every continent had their own community and set of rules with, of course, their own hierarchy. Only Asia classed the vampires according to blood purity. The six other vampire races had their own priorities and were vastly different. But if there was one thing they all did have in common, Zero supposed, it was the value of strength, whether that was physical or mental.

The Europeans were a magical community and the top most notable figures were known as the Gifted of Europe, just as there were Purebloods of Asia. Jamie was one of them, most known for his occupation as a Seal Crafter, though he did have a few other talents he liked to indulge in that he kept discreet.

The blood seals Zero had utilized to seal away the blood bond was one Jamie's grandmother had developed and passed down to her heirs along with her knowledge on seal crafting. Jamie had also lent Zero his magic in order to properly activate them, as they were designed to run on magic with the use of the user's blood only as a base for a stronger connection between the seals and its caster, especially since bonds were something very much personal, for every vampire.

He'd thought doing anything against a blood bond, particularly one made between a pureblood and ex-human was impossible, but Jamie had simply given him a wide-eyed stare and claimed rather matter-of-factly,

_"Why, there's a way to seal anything, young one, and if there isn't, you just make one, is all."_

There were a variety of seals for sealing blood bonds, some that had more violent side affects than others. Zero had chosen one that worked with utmost subtlety and at a gradual pace. It would stop Kaname from feeling any symptoms from the one-sided blood bond and seal his memories of the time he'd fallen into one. He would never even remember thinking of the possibility of offering his blood to Zero. The private moments between them would conveniently be filled with other mundane activities as to not alert the pureblood to any time lapses.

Kaname hadn't survived as an orphaned pureblood under Ichijou Asato by being an idiot. He definitely would have noticed memory lapses and the sudden insertion of jarring memories. It was why it'd take at least twelve hours for the seals to fully take place and why Zero had chosen to activate it with Kaname asleep. His mind would be more vulnerable to the changes the seals would initiate and make the transition easier.

Jamie had also taught him charms to restrict the scent of his blood as to not alert Kaname when Zero was using it to draw out the sealing runes. He didn't have to worry about the pureblood seeing the symbols afterward either, as the marks faded as soon as the seals were activated, leaving no trace of Zero's presence in the dorm leader's rooms.

If he hadn't been feeling like the scum of the earth, he could've felt a bit of pride at what he'd just accomplished.

An ex-human getting one over a pureblood? Surely the sky was falling and the world was ending.

But Zero's guilt at having taken advantage of Kaname's trust and vulnerability ate away at his conscience. Kaname…would have never expected him pull something like that, especially when so unguarded.

"Child, if you're going through another brooding session, stop right now and resume later. You need your rest, one without invisible enemies claiming everything was your fault." Jamie interrupted, pulling the blankets over Zero's tall form. Zero wondered when the older vampire had the time to dry the sheets under him from the water he'd poured on him earlier, but didn't dwell too long on it, his lids feeling heavy. Damn it, Jamie was doing something again, wasn't he?

Jamie gave a satisfied nod at seeing his soon-to-be child fast asleep. He'd allowed Zero use of his knowledge, but he couldn't help but hope not all would be over for his little one.

After all, while Jamie and his children could offer Zero a family, there was a part of the boy only Kuran Kaname and his love would ever be able to fill.

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights.

Ah, I made it to the second chapter, I hope I can keep things going ^^; At least, as someone has mentioned, until the party invitation, ha ha. _Thank you_ so much for all of your reviews and those who have either alerted this story or favorited *bows* Even those that took the time to just read it for whatever reason :)

This was a little more on the seal Zero used and Jamie. Hope it answered some questions...


	3. And You're Gone

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

**_And You're Gone_**

Cross Yuuki knew something was wrong the moment she woke up and found it was still two hours before her alarm blared like usual and had her scrambling into her uniform and rushing out the door. She didn't even feel the slightest bit sleepy. Loosely curling her hands on the sheets beneath them as she slowly sat up, she stared down at her blanket covered knees in much of a puzzled daze before shaking herself out of it and pulling the blanket back to slide out of her bed.

She should've tried falling back asleep, she knew. It was what she'd have usually done if there were ever a day she woke up before her alarm clock, but no, not today. This morning felt a bit different. Going into her bathroom, her solemn face stared back at her from the mirror. Eyes without a hint of the panic for being late, her skin a little paler than usual instead of the flush it had from her running about trying to make herself presentable with limited time. Ah, so unlike her at such an early hour. Even her hair looked tamer.

Her movements were measured as she washed her face, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, dressed in her uniform… Tying the laces to her ankle boots, she walked out of her dorm, Sayori still tucked warmly under the covers, fast asleep as she closed the door behind her.

Maybe…maybe she should go see the chairman. He wasn't up this early, no, but she felt the need to visit his office. She had the keys with her anyhow. She was a prefect.

Hearing the telltale click of the lock turning, she reached for the knob and pushed the door open. She was here, with the room right before her, but she couldn't bring herself to walk in. Remembering how she felt when she woke up, she felt inexplicably afraid of entering a room she'd never hesitated to go into before.

Frowning, she pushed forward, taking a step. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was the same as it always was. She felt like laughing at herself. Really, she scared herself sometimes, getting overwhelmed by these weird premonitions. Letting out a sigh, she approached the chairman's desk, reaching out a hand to run her fingers along the edge when her eyes caught sight of two envelopes and she froze.

_Chairman_.

_Yuuki._

Those were for the chairman and herself. But who would be able to enter the office during the night to leave them here? The only people who had the keys to the room were the chairman himself, the prefects, and Kaname-sempai. She doubted her adopted father would ever do something so bazaar no matter how eccentric he was at times, she doubted Kaname-sempai would leave word for them in such a roundabout way, and she herself certainly hadn't left them there. That only left, only left…

"Zero…?"

It was Zero? But why would he…? She was grabbing for her letter before she knew what she was doing. She opened it with care, it'd been something from Zero, she now recognized the handwriting, and slid the single sheet of paper out, unfolding it. It hadn't taken her a second to read the entirety of the message.

Brown eyes wide, she discarded the envelope and clutched the letter to her chest, rushing out of the room. What had he meant? To tell her something like that in a letter… Why would he do something like that unless…

"Zero? Zero! Please open the door! Zero!"

_Why_…?

"Zero!" Please, _please_, let him be there to open it. Let it be—

"Cross? What the hell do you want? Do you know what time it is? What are you doing here anyway?"

No, no, no… She'd wanted to see his silver hair, his lilac eyes, his pale skin, his handsome face…

"Is…is Zero here?"

"What? No, haven't seen him at all yesterday, and I don't think he even came back last night."

Not here…?

"Hey, you alright? Cross?"

"Uh, ah, thank you for telling me."

She immediately headed for his old room next, and her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw it cold, dark, and empty. There was nothing indicating he'd ever stepped into the room recently, much less yesterday. She ran herself ragged throughout the campus, looking around places she knew he liked to take a stroll in and even other areas he wouldn't be caught dead in. She didn't see his familiar figure anywhere.

Heading back to his old room, she slowly slumped on the edge of his bed, squeezing the cool sheets under her one of her hands, the other still clutching onto the letter.

He was probably gone, off somewhere. He'll come back soon. He always did. Maybe this was his idea of a prank?

He probably _is_ gone. But he won't come back. Did he always? You know he never does pranks.

Yes, she did know all of those things. She did…_she did_… But, "I'm wrong, like I always am, right Zero?" And you'll be there to prove me wrong and tease me like you always do, right?

"Don't, don't leave me confusing things like this, you stupid head; big, big s-stupid head…"

The small salty water droplets landing atop the letter went unnoticed, blurring the words.

_Thank you.  
I love you._

* * *

"Ah, what a lovely morning! Let's see what I have to work on today." Hopefully there'd be nothing to ruin his good cheer. The weather was beautiful too.

"Yuuki and Zero should be up by now," he hummed, biting into his toast. Sitting behind his desk, he reached for a pen and stopped when his hand hovered over an envelope with his name written in a very familiar hand.

"Zero?"

Well, this was quite unlike him, leaving letters. He'd always thought, with Zero, it was either said or not said, with nothing in between and certainly not written through a letter. Wondering what his son had to say, he opened it with some curiosity and unfolded the pages.

Clear auburn eyes widened with every line. What…what was this?

"Chairman?"

"Ah, Yuuki!" He tried for his usual smile. "How are you today? You're on time, that's good—"

"Did you read it?"

"Your teacher won't have to – what?"

"Did you read it?"

"…Yes, yes I did."

"Um, what," her breath hitched, "what did it say?"

The chairman looked back down at the letter on his desk and lowered his head. Yuuki stepped forward, her breathing growing harsher. The chairman let out an inaudible sigh before looking back up,

"I'm sorry; he's, he's gone, Yuuki."

She shook her head.

"Yesterday. He left yesterday. And," he managed a pained smile, "he says he leaves us his love."

"Wh-why? He jus-just left?" She couldn't even bring herself to speak properly. Her throat was all clogged and she felt like she was choking.

"I'm sure it wasn't as easy as that, Yuuki." The chairman said quietly. "Please, don't cry. He wouldn't have wanted you to."

"I'll, I'll c-cry if I want to, damn it!"

"Now, don't curse, and come here."

She let out a sniff and a sob before slowly approaching him and letting him wrap his arms around her. It was nice, the chairman was warm, but she so wished it were Zero. She doubted anyone besides her knew this, but no one's hugs were as warm or comforting as Zero's.

But he was gone now. And no matter how much she cried or threw a childish tantrum screaming and demanding for his return, it wouldn't bring him back. She wouldn't have the refuge of his strong arms any longer, not since yesterday.

Her grip around her father's shirt tightened. He was still alive, another part of her argued. He wasn't _gone_, gone. He was still out there somewhere. But, another countered, with the letters and the abruptness of his departure, it made everything feel so final, like she'd never see him again. And if she didn't, what difference did it make? He would still be gone from her life.

But it seemed some luck was still with her.

"Yuuki, there was one extra piece of information tucked in, along with Zero's last message," the chairman murmured. "I think it was from the person who left with him."

What?

Zero… "Zero left with someone?"

"That may be the case. And they have included, along with Zero's words, that they will…stop by, to explain things further."

Stop by…

"Here?"

"Yes, that is what I'm assuming. A mere days' patience will bring us our answers."

But… "I want Zero."

"I know, Yuuki, as do I, but it's not… It's not likely we'll see him again for some time." The chairman whispered.

"Stupid head."

The chairman laughed breathlessly against her hair. "Yes…yes, I must quite agree." His eyes slid sadly, though fondly, towards the words on his desk.

_Thank you.  
Take care of Yuuki. That means keeping her away from Kuran.  
Learn to cook, damn it.  
Take care of yourself. You…weren't that bad of a father._

And another small sheet of paper lied beneath unobtrusively.

_Hello Chairman,_

_By the time you've read this, we've gone…for a while, I'm not very sorry to say. I do love Zero you know. I'm delighted to have him with me. He's a wonderful child._

_What I _am_ sorry for, is how sudden this was and must be for both you and your daughter. Rest assured, Zero is in capable hands, you need not worry for a thing, and as I'm also sure you'd be left with some questions, I will do my best to answer them._

_I will see you, hopefully, in two days' time._

* * *

Kaname hadn't known anything was wrong until class changeover and had noticed on Yuuki's absence. It was instead Yagari, the top hunter and also their professor, that was in charge of escorting them through to their class tonight.

Immediately, questions started to crop up. Where was Yuuki? Did something happen to her? Was she sick? Hurt?

He hadn't scented her blood, so it must've not been physical if she'd been injured at all. At least she was safe on that account. That made the possibility of her having fallen sick much more plausible. And coupling that with Kiryuu-kun's absence… Perhaps he was tending to her? Kaname could see that, it was a highly likely scenario. He knew the male prefect held a soft spot for Yuuki and that despite his brash attitude, he also had a soft heart.

Kiryuu-kun…

It somehow felt…awkward to think of him in that term – by his surname with a polite suffix. Why, the pureblood couldn't begin to fathom. He'd always referred to the ex-human that way, since they'd been (violently) introduced. There shouldn't be any room for awkwardness. But something in him claimed it sounded much too distant.

Then, Zero…?

No, that, that was much too close. He was certainly not on first name basis with…him…

"Kaname?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Yuuki-chan or Zero-kun are?"

"No, unfortunately, I do not."

"Mm," Takuma nodded. Kaname was as composed as ever, but he was sure the pureblood was worried, at least for Yuuki-chan. Unlike Zero-kun, she was always there on time during class changeover, though she wasn't very good at keeping the girls away as her fellow prefect. Her voice hardly carried, and she was so tiny…

"Will you go to the chairman about it?"

"Yes, perhaps." Ah, that was Kaname's way of saying it was a definite yes. He wondered if he'd be allowed to hear the information later. He hoped it was nothing serious. Something like this had never happened before.

* * *

"Ah Yuuki? Oh, oh, she's uh, she's fine. Very fine."

There was a pause in which Kaname sent Cross a _look_.

"Uh, well she _is_ fine, Kaname-kun. Just ah," he sighed heavily, "just, she's, I don't think she'd want to see you, to be honest."

What? "Excuse me?"

The chairman smiled tiredly, "But you're welcome to try, of course. She's in her room."

"I will, thank you."

He made his way through the familiar halls and to her door. He called her name as he knocked, fully expecting her to open it to him. And she did, for a second. Then she slammed it back into his face.

He was left there, blinking, until her voice came through, however muffled. "I'm sorry for that Kaname-sempai, I, I didn't think it was you."

Who did she think it was? Who had she wanted it to be?

"Won't you open the door for me?" Her eyes were red, a clear indication of her having cried, quite profusely, and he was worried. Cross had said she was fine, but she obviously wasn't. What was going on? He had no idea of the situation and it was unsettling him, terribly.

There was a moment. "I'm, I'm sorry Kaname-sempai," her voice turned weak, if not for his advanced hearing, he wouldn't have heard a word, "I can't do that."

His hand now flat against the door, he looked down. "I see. May I ask why?"

"Uh," her voice was high and breathy, "uh," she cleared her throat, "um, that's…oh god," her breath hitched. "Something, something bad happened, that's all."

Something bad… If only she could dismiss this so simply. She wished she could laugh it off, like always. Like always… Zero, Zero should be included in her 'always' and she thought he would be.

That he'd one day go off on his own path never even occurred to her. That he'd go off without her. Sure, they didn't tell each other everything, and whenever they talked, it was pretty much one-sided on her part, but he'd still been there. She'd shared her happiness with him, her sadness, her embarrassing moments, awkward ones too, and, and, she'd shared her love with him. She relied on him like no one else. Not even Kaname-sempai could claim that from her. Zero was her solid rock, keeping her from floating up too high; her safety net, never failing to catch her should she fall.

_You thought he was yours_.

_No_! Her eyes widened. No, no, she'd never… Zero, Zero was her precious brother, she'd never…

_He wasn't close to anyone else, never tried to be. But he was kind to _you_, and you liked that. That he considered _you_ special enough to give you his time and attention._

She shook her head. She'd wished and had even told him, more than once, that he should socialize more and he needn't be so aloof. She wished to seem him happy. She knew if he openly showed even a fraction of the kindness he showed her, the Night class would have a _lot_ of competition, and that was including Kaname-sempai and Aidou-sempai. The girls would be all over _him_ during class changeover instead, and Zero would be annoyed more than ever, his face scrunched up in a way she'd come to consider as endearingly cute. Yes, he'd be annoyed, and angry definitely, but he'd also have no idea how to keep them at bay, she bet; not when it was him their attention was on.

She remembered, some time back, of seeing a girl confess to Zero. Yuuki had thought she was crazy, but admired her for her courage, and it seemed Zero did too, since he didn't seem so harsh in that instant. He was actually rather gentle when he'd let her down. His tone had been calm and steady. But it was after the girl left in a hurry that Yuuki saw Zero let out a relieved gusty sigh and turn his head to the side with a flush to his cheeks, running a hand through his hair. It'd been the first time she'd seen him embarrassed.

Yuuki let out a watery laugh. She couldn't believe she was thinking about such things. But it was true, as were those dark thoughts. Maybe a part of her did want to monopolize Zero. She liked being the only girl to ever bring warmth to his eyes and the recipient of his once in a blue moon smiles; so genuine it'd made a part of her melt the first time she saw it. And she'd become so sure of his presence, his protection, and his gentleness, that it was more than just a shock to have it disappear so suddenly without warning.

"Yuuki?" Kaname-sempai sounded really worried.

"I'm really sorry Kaname-sempai, for making you worry, but I want to be by myself for a while." Seeing him now would only make her feel worse. Kaname-sempai never liked Zero anyway. She didn't want to force him to show her any sympathy. If he did that, she seriously, truly, would have disliked him for it.

"And you'll be fine still?" He sounded so unconvinced she would've found it funny in any other circumstance, and probably very flustered at his concern on her behalf. She couldn't find it in her to feel any of that now, however.

"Yes."

"I see. I will hope to see you when you're better." He sounded more resigned this time, and she heard his quiet footsteps fade as he walked away from her door.

_"I don't think she'd want to see you, to be honest."_

So the chairman had been right. When she'd told him, quite flat out, that she did not want to see him, it'd hurt. That he'd been so sure of the opposite drove the nail in that much deeper. She'd been growing farther away from him since four years ago and it was so very evident now.

She'd never rejected his presence with that one exception being due to his suspicion of Kiryuu-kun biting a Day class girl. And she'd especially not pushed him out when emotionally vulnerable. She'd be shy and hesitant, but she'd eventually give in to allow him to give her the comfort she needed. Never had she been so calm and straightforward with her replies.

What was it that was affecting her so strongly? He'd never seen her this way during any of the ten years he'd known her. His wine red eyes cooling, he headed back to the chairman's office.

The man looked more composed this time round, his smile holding more of his cheery air as he looked up at Kaname from behind his desk.

"I'm guessing your will to try wasn't willful enough?" He didn't even falter at the dark look he received for his question.

"Kaname-kun, Yuuki will be fine. She's a strong girl. She knows how to stand on her own feet. She will get through this."

"And what is 'this' you're referring to, chairman?"

He blinked. "She didn't tell you?"

Kaname felt his annoyance rising. No, she did not tell him. "She merely labeled it as 'something bad'."

The chairman smiled sadly. "Yes, that is something she would do. And it _is_ something bad, for Yuuki and I at least." His smile turned strained. "But I guess it'd be different for the Night class and yourself. It might even be a positive thing. I'm sure many of them would be absolutely joyful." The moment he said it, he regretted his words. Tensing, he sighed. "I'm sorry, that was, it was inappropriate."

He was lashing out at the nearest person because of his own frustration at Zero's disappearance. Knowing Kaname held a certain dislike for Zero just made him an easy target. He had to pull himself together before he said anything more and hurt anyone else. Acting this way wouldn't alleviate his pain or bring Zero back.

More surprised than hurt by his words, Kaname seriously started to think of anything capable of pushing even the chairman to act out of character. The man wasn't angry with him or the Night class. He was bothered by something else entirely. And it was also the reason for Yuuki's current disposition.

Kaname's thoughts came to a pause when going over the chairman's words. He'd specifically mentioned he and Yuuki being affected. What about…

"And Kiryuu-kun? He has also been absent this evening."

"Ah, and there is a proper reason for that." The chairman leaned on his windowsill, facing the grounds outside, his back to the Moon Dorm president. "Yuuki and I… We've come to the conclusion Zero has left the academy, and has been gone since yesterday."

"_What_?" Kaname let slip unintelligibly.

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knight.

I wanted to do Kaname, but this came out instead...

Ah, it's amazingly good to be back on my own computer after being deprived of it for a week and a half :D Just got back today :)


	4. The Michaels

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

_**The Michaels**_

Jamie was quick to lead Zero to one of his armchairs as soon as they landed via seal traveling into his office. "Take a breath. The distance this time wasn't so far and you've also had my blood yesterday."

Zero nodded. He only felt a bit winded compared to the utter exhaustion he'd felt when having to jump from Japan to the United Kingdom. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back into the chair and relaxed his shoulders.

"I'll let my children know you're here, so don't be surprised to get a few visitors." Jamie warned, placing a thick blanket over Zero's lap as he left.

Just as the warmth in the room and blanket was beginning to settle in and he began to doze off, the door to the room shot open to let in a tall figure, "Father, I just tried out one of the spells I've been working on and—" Light crystal blue eyes blinked. "Right, he's not here. Are you…Zero?"

Tensing, Zero gave a wary nod. This vampire was pretty tall, taller than himself certainly, and probably around the same height as his teacher, Yagari. He was handsome, as every vampire naturally was, with sharp perfectly balanced aristocratic features framed by shoulder length midnight locks.

He didn't hold any of the delicate, near fragile beauty Zero always associated with Kaname, however, as Zero had often begun to do in recent days with most males he saw. This vampire, though still gorgeous, was all handsome grace with hard defined edges compared to the soft gentle lines Zero was used to seeing.

"I see, I'm Alexavier, or Alex, if you'd prefer; it's a pleasure to meet you, brother," Alex smiled, holding out a hand. Zero swore the older vampire's teeth shined and his eyes sparkled. His wariness grew another notch.

Alex…he was one of Jamie's right? Because if he wasn't, Zero wouldn't have minded telling the other vampire to shove his cheery sparkly weird greeting up somewhere else and away (_far_ away) from him.

But, more than likely, Alex _was_ one of Jamie's, he thought a bit resignedly, and he pursed his lips,

"The same," he responded shortly, reaching out to shake the other's hand. He almost let his jaw go slack when Alex, instead of shaking it as he'd expected, raised his hand to his lips and breathed,

"You're as beautiful as Father claimed, Zero."

Feeling his skin crawl at the touch of a stranger (translation: someone that wasn't Kaname), Zero immediately snatched his hand back, wiping the back of it onto his pants. That…was disgusting, he grimaced. Not even Jamie had been so physically forward. He called him by teasing names, sure, and was kindly affectionate to him yes, but he'd never pulled something like this. Besides, Alex had just called him brother, didn't that indicate there was a certain line between them?

Last he checked, you did _not_ go around kissing your brother's hand like that.

And he wasn't beautiful. Beautiful was Kaname or Jamie. What had that damn vampire been saying about him anyway?

"Am I the first to see you?" Alex asked, unfazed by Zero's hostile attitude. Father had warned him about that as well.

"What?" A voice whined from the doorway. "Alex, you're already here? I thought I'd be the first!"

"Alex is always first," another voice grumbled.

A blonde and brunette walked through, both petite and slender, though not as tiny as Yuuki. In fact, Zero tilted his head, they were probably around the same height as Jamie.

The blonde stepped forth, "Clarabelle, but everyone just goes by Belle."

The brunette nodded and sent him a pleasant smile. "Allison, but you can call me Allie." Her bright emerald eyes slid to glare viciously at Alex. "He didn't do anything to you did he? If he did, don't worry about it. He likes to pull crap on everyone."

He liked her already, "I'll keep that mind," he noted.

Belle snorted. "So he did do something. Wait until Father hears about it."

Allie smiled sweetly. "I wonder what would happen to your spell casting rooms, Alex."

Alex paled. "He wouldn't. He knows how much experimenting means to me."

"That depends, Alex dear, did you do something to Zero?" Jamie's familiar voice came drifting through, with two boys beside him. Zero's breath caught when he saw their small cherubic faces were identical. Twins.

"I only complimented him, Father," Alex protested. Jamie raised a brow. "And?"

"And…I kissed his hand."

"No touching Alex, Zero is off limits, no matter how tempting."

"I'm aware, Father, I was only teasing."

"No. Touching." Jamie repeated. Alex sent his father a contemplative frown, but nodded obediently.

"Now that that's been cleared, Zero, these are my twins, Sebastian and Julian." Two boys clinging to his pants leveled Zero with identical pairs of calculative sea-green eyes. The ex-human noted while the three others didn't hold much resemblance, the twins looked much like Jamie – their skin the same creamy porcelain and their hair a wave of sleek midnight curls along with wide eyes framed by thick dark lashes.

"Father," the one to Jamie's left spoke up, "you won't love him more than you do us will you?"

"Yeah," the one to his right added, "just because he's new doesn't mean he's better."

"If you don't drop the childish demands, then maybe I will," Jamie nonchalantly commented, totally ignoring the horrified gasps that issued forth. "Zero is much more mature and patient than either of you. He'll be a lovely child."

Their gem like eyes, the same shade as Jamie's, widened and shined with tears. Both simultaneously letting out pitiful sniffs, they buried their face into their father's shirt and clung to him even further, sobbing about 'being good' and 'never being mean' along with how they'd 'be nice to the weird Asian vampire', which Zero assumed was referring to himself.

Zero wouldn't have known what to do with one crying child, much less two, but Jamie seemed more than used to them acting this way and merely patted their hair, using his sleeve to wipe their tears when he managed to peel them off his waist enough to see their face.

"Well, now that everyone's been introduced, Belle, Allie, can you show Zero to his room?"

The two girls complied, leading a curious Zero outside into the wide halls.

Alex watched them go before turning to his father. "Why did you warn me off that way? There's more to it than Zero being new here, isn't there?"

Jamie smiled blandly, "Yes there is. I don't want you to cause trouble for Zero Alex. He carries enough on his plate as it is. You becoming attached to him will only add to his burdens."

Now that hurt. "What do you mean? I never intended to get 'attached'."

Jamie sent his oldest son a long piercing stare, "Oh, but you could, Alex, and I fear that you will. I know your types very well after all, and Zero, unfortunately, fits the bill."

"You don't have to say 'unfortunately'!" Alex cried, indignant. Really, sometimes, he wondered if this vampire was his father at all.

Sebastian snickered. "On the contrary, brother, I feel anyone unlucky enough to hold your attention is rather unfortunate."

Julian smiled. "Sorry, brother, but there is a reason for your single status."

Alex's brow twitched. Brothers or not, those two… He missed the time when they were still shy boys getting used to their surroundings, quiet and docile. They seemed so much cuter then. Now, they were mouthy little brats that only cared about their father and his opinions. Father, in turn, didn't do much to curb their behavior, content in spoiling them.

Jamie shook his head and shushed his youngest sons before turning to his eldest, "Just think Alex, why would I advise you, no, _mandate_ for you to not get attached?"

"Why…?" Alex frowned in confusion. Wasn't that the reason why they were having this conversation now? But his father had never stopped him from pursuing his own interests, including whom he decided to choose as a lover. Zero was special in some way. Not just because he was a brother-to-be, no, it was something else.

_"He carries enough on his plate as it is. You becoming attached to him will only add to his burdens."_

Crystal blue eyes widened. Could it be…that those burdens were… "Father does he—" He looked up, but the familiar figure of his father was nowhere in the room, along with the twins. Damn it, he hated it when he did that.

His expression turned thoughtful as he leaned on his father's desk. So Zero had some left over issues from where he came from? And from his father's comments, they were most likely far from resolved. He had also specifically mentioned if Alex were to show any _sexual_ or _romantic_ interest, it would trouble the younger vampire further.

After that, it wasn't hard to determine whatever unresolved issues Zero had, had to do with a lover involved. It could even be the reason why he was here now, with his family – separated from a relationship gone sour perhaps, and wanting to start anew.

Ah, his thoughts cautioned, but that made it sound as though Zero _wanted_ to leave, and if he did, his father wouldn't have warned him against going after him. So, he amended, Zero _didn't_ want to leave and was either forced or manipulated into doing so. Slipping his pocketknife from his jeans, Alex flicked it into the air before catching it smoothly between his fingers and repeating the process, a habit of his since young. He inwardly grimaced at what his careful deductions all boiled down to:

Zero was still in love with someone.

And if the younger boy's reaction to his kiss earlier was any indication, he was not just in love; he was _faithfully_ in love. There would be no 'extra playing off to the side' with Zero. Alex sighed. The disappointment he felt at this was clear. Such a _waste_, his mind moaned. Zero was _beautiful_. Nobody would fault him for having more than one partner at a time, Alex certainly wouldn't. He couldn't believe someone was actually idiotic enough to let someone so gorgeous slip through their fingers.

Ah, well, their loss, really.

But Zero was in for a rude awakening if he thought he could come here and just let his heart wither away, pining for someone who would never be able to find him (at least not at their home – his father was thorough in security), not with him, Belle, Allie, and definitely not with Sebastian and Julian living under the same roof.

Father would also give something to keep Zero busy with, if he hadn't already. You didn't become a Michaels and expect to spend your days like an old lady. Once Zero was magically adopted, he'd receive the benefits that came being Jamie Michaels' son and learn to explore those benefits, just as the rest of them had, and still did.

Speaking of inherent magical gifts, Alex tucked his knife away, he needed to get back to his spell rooms and finish that piece he was working on. He wouldn't be able to surpass his father at this rate.

* * *

Allie and Belle had taken to giving him a tour as they walked along the long halls. Zero was glad for it, as he knew he'd need it – hell, he'd need a blue print layout of this place if he didn't want to spend the rest of his days wandering around just trying to find his room.

When they'd opened the doors to it, the first thing he'd noticed was that it was, much like the rest of the house (mansion?), Big with a capital B, and with more space than he knew what to do with. His personal items had already been sent and had been left untouched, Jamie already having told his kids it was better to let Zero unpack on his own.

"Our rooms are all in the east wing, so you won't have to go far if you need any of us." Belle informed. "Allie's is to your right and mine is to your left. Alex is to my left and Sebastian and Julian still share a room with Father."

"They…sleep with him?"

Allie smiled. "I know, at first, they seem…well, a bit much, but they're not really like that, you'll see as you get to know them."

Belle nodded, "They're cute, inside and out. Father did give them rooms, but they don't use them for anything other than a place to keep their things, and they spend a lot of their time with Father or in one of his rooms."

So, the twins (the word still sent a twinge through him, instantly reminding him of Ichiru) were quite attached to Jamie. But they seemed fairly young still, maybe nine to eleven in human years. Zero wondered if they were Jamie's actual sons, sharing so much of his physical aspects.

"Well," Allie added, "it hasn't been long since they've been adopted, so it's not so uncommon."

"And their lives before this was…not the most pleasant thing to have to remember."

"They were adopted?"

Allie nodded, smiling, "Yup, just like the rest of us."

Catching onto his confusion, Belle clarified, "We were magically adopted, but Father blood adopted Sebastian and Julian. It's why they look so much like him."

"What's the difference?"

"Mostly a stronger magical, physical connection to Father. They'll definitely be inheriting his seal crafting skills and nearly everything else. There are also some spells Father created that can only be used by someone else with his direct bloodline. Alex is the magical heir, but Sebastian and Julian will be carrying on his legacy and self-earned titles."

"Couldn't he have just had his own kids?"

Allie and Belle looked at him incredulously before realization dawned and they coughed lightly, "I guess Father hasn't discussed the topic with you yet," Allie smiled, "but European vampires can't reproduce the way Asian vampires do. Women can't get pregnant and neither can the males impregnate anyone, whether vampire or human."

"The only way to secure children is to adopt them either magically or by blood."

"That, or turning them," Allie held up a finger.

Turning… Zero couldn't help the memory of the night his parents had been murdered and the betrayal of his brother becoming clear from surfacing. He could almost feel the pain from Hiou Shizuka's bite on his neck. The blood…it'd been everywhere, dripping from her vile mouth and lips. The day at the dance also left him with a repulsive aftertaste, having to feel her fangs at his neck again and having to deal with Yuuki's foolishness, born from her kindness, which Shizuka had no difficulty in manipulating and swaying to her side.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked, concerned. Sensing the subject of turning to have perhaps unsettled her new brother, she hastily reassured, "It's not painful, since there needs to be full consent on both sides. If there isn't, the vampire ends up in a lot of pain and the human in question dies instantly."

"Forcefully trying to turn someone isn't at all beneficial. It hasn't happened in…well, a long, long time."

"Both of you…" No, all European vampires, "all _wanted_ to be vampires?" They'd all been human once?

Their expressions solemn, the girls nodded. "Yes, and each of us has our own reasons for wanting to be the way we are now."

"But we didn't choose this lightly," Allie continued, "for me, at least, and for the rest of our family, we all had a history we wanted to get past."

Zero could more than understand the desperation involved with wanting to have a way out during an extremely trying period, but to choose the way of life of a vampire? He wondered how dire their circumstances were to have been forced into taking such an option.

Seeing the hesitance in his eyes, Belle smiled wistfully. "I know it sounds ridiculous, crazy even, but I haven't regretted my decision once, and especially not since Father took me in."

"None of us do, I'm sure," Allie said firmly.

Zero's mind was busy wracking up a whirlwind as the new piece of information sank in.

European vampires couldn't have natural children. But every single one of them were still pure vampires with not a drop of human blood to them, their genetic makeup having been changed completely. It was no wonder their society wasn't based on blood purity. With all of them having been once human, what was the point in griping about something that technically didn't exist for them?

And instead of power that came with blood, they had power that came with magic. Zero made sure to inquire further on the subject as soon as the opportunity arose. Did magic grow as the vampire did in age and/or practice, or were they limited to the amount the vampire was first gifted with when turned?

Yes, turned… Remembering Allie's words, Zero's heart raced. It meant… That if they'd all been turned…

"There isn't a possibility of level Es?" He asked, mostly to himself, in a sense of stunned wonder. Jamie was still here, Alex was still here; so were Allie and Bell and Sebastian and Julian. They were still here, fully sane, and in terms of Jamie, powerful with firm social standing.

Both having heard the question, the girls' eyes widened and Allie paled, recognizing the term he used. "Dear god, I'm so sorry. You're of Asian descent and I didn't even…I'm, I'm really sorry." She couldn't believe she'd been so insensitive. Remembering her hasty 'It's not painful at all' comment she used to try to alleviate the whole matter, she felt ashamed. Of course Zero would have been bothered by the thought of turning if all he'd known about it were that you'd eventually lose your mind and turn into a beast of blood and carnage.

"I apologize as well. We've both been thoughtless, mentioning the idea of being turned so casually." Belle said softly.

"It's, it's alright." Their words and reaction worked to settle the unease that'd started to build up in a small part of him. They hadn't been trying to excuse or justify the act of turning because of him. It was obvious they didn't know he was what Asians classified as an ex-human. It also meant Jamie hadn't told them everything, which Zero felt glad for. Despite them technically being his siblings, they were still strangers and the thought of having his entire life story up for debate was a little more than discomforting. He would've been furious.

"Ah, but if you ever feel bothered about something, especially about what we said, please tell us. Learning about other vampires is part of our schooling, but plain information isn't the same as actually meeting a vampire from a different continent."

"Scold us, berate us, it doesn't really matter, just let it all out and make it a learning experience," Belle agreed.

"Yes, we make it a habit not to keep quiet if we feel particularly strongly about something. It's one of the first things we learned. It's the same concept of letting your thoughts and feelings known to let others know how you are. If you don't tell them, they won't ever know and it can lead to miscommunication, which we've all suffered enough from to last us two lifetimes."

"You seem rather quiet; we're not trying to force you about anything, just letting you know it's okay to shout and scream sometimes."

Zero merely gave a nod to show he'd been listening. He didn't think he'd be able to follow their advise any time soon, as the only person he'd done something like that for was Kaname, and even then, it hadn't been easy for the pureblood to wrangle out Zero's deepest thoughts verbally.

He looked up to see them staring. "What is it?"

"Ah, we just, well…it's okay if it's not something you want to share with us, but we were just wondering how you met Father and why you decided to become family." Allie smiled sheepishly.

"How I met Jamie…" It was nothing dramatic or exciting. He'd met Jamie through his teacher, who'd recommended him when he found out Zero was researching seals. An excellent hunter he may be, seals weren't his area of expertise, and having figured his student was indeed serious about knowing more on the subject, introduced Jamie Michaels who'd been staying in town for a client.

Zero had been surprised his teacher was on fairly amiable terms with a vampire, but Yagari had informed him Jamie had saved his life on more than one occasion and was 'different', as he wasn't Asian. Zero hadn't known what he was talking about at the time, but now he felt it might have been due to Yagari's knowledge on Jamie once being human that made him 'different'.

Allie smiled, "I see. Father has friends everywhere. He must have taken a liking to you then."

Belle nodded. "I can see that happening."

"Yes, not surprising at all." Allie let her eyes travel up and down, head to toe. "You're beautiful, obviously intelligent, and this is just a guess on my part, but physically suited enough for Dancing. Father loves it."

Belle blinked. "I never even thought of that," she squinted her honey gold eyes, "but now that you mention it, I suppose you have a point."

"Dancing?" Zero asked flatly. What were they talking about now?

Allie giggled. "Don't sound so enthusiastic. It's not the type of dancing humans do with music. It's a form of combat, like, ah, martial arts for humans, though Dancing is a lot less aggressive looking and much more graceful, in my opinion. Father is excellent at it. He taught the rest of us."

Belle smirked. "It's the one thing Alex fails miserably at."

Allie nodded, amused. "He absolutely hates it."

"Why?" Zero had only known Alex for maybe a total of ten minutes, but he didn't need much more to notice the older vampire's movements were smooth and coordinated.

Allie shrugged. "According to Father, you need a certain mindset and physique for it, and Alex has neither. It's hard to explain, but if Father ever gets around to teaching you, I think you'll see why."

Belle tilted her head, her blond curls swaying around her face. "The more I look at you, the more I think Allie is right. You'd look beautiful Dancing."

Allie nodded excitedly, "Don't you think so? He'd look amazing next to Father." The two girls shared a grin that reminded Zero all too well of the Day class girls back at the academy and he felt a chill run down his spine. _Why_ did they look so happy?

"Father and Zero together…Sebastian and Julian are going to throw a fit."

"Oh, they'd get over it. If Zero looks as graceful as he does in my mind, they'd have no choice but to."

"What do you think about Zero Dancing in those robes, you know, the white ones?"

"Silk?"

"Yes."

"He'd look like a piece of moving art."

"Pictures?"

"Pictures."

"And what about red and black?"

"Sharp and dangerous, but he's too soft for black. Dark colors are good, just not too strong."

"Navy?"

"And grey as well." They both giggled.

Lilac eyes darting between the two of them, Zero tried to make for a quick exit. This was proof enough. Girls, vampire or not, were all the same – weird and incomprehensible. It didn't matter what background they had either.

"Where are you going?"

Zero cringed.

"We're not done showing you around yet, little brother. Come along like a good baby sibling and let your older sisters show how things work, hm?"

They were all the same.

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights.

And there's Zero's new family. Alex is a flirt, Belle and Allie have a thing for 'pretty', and Sebastian and Julian love being brats. :D Let's see how Zero fits in, eh?

Thank you guys so much for your reviews! I've hardly gotten around to the replies, but I'm getting there XD


	5. Silent Reminiscence

**Heartfelt Sacrifices_  
_**

**_Silent Reminiscence_**

"_What?_" Kaname let slip unintelligibly.

"He's left us, Kaname-kun." The chairman repeated, surprised at the pureblood's show of emotion and turning around from the window to face him. "He left Yuuki and I farewell letters – well, as much as Zero is capable of one," he added, "short notes, really…" His eyes traveled to the drawer of his desk, where he'd carefully tucked it away. "But yes, he is gone from us; for how long, we've yet to see."

He smiled fondly. "I'm guessing he's made a decision of some sort, on his own, and has just gone on explore those decisions." Zero was never one to sit around idly. The only thing possibly holding him back was his vampirism, and it seemed he'd found a way around it if he felt confident enough to leave the protective walls of the academy.

He would miss Zero, dearly he would, but his adoptive son had only left the nest to go his own way, and if he came back, Cross would be ready and waiting to welcome him with open arms. Figuratively, of course. He'd never given Zero a hug (wasn't that stupid enough to) and no matter how long Zero was planning on staying away, Cross doubted that would change. He'd rather keep his arms from harm.

Once Yuuki got over Zero's sudden loss in her life, he knew she'd do the same. She'd do everything she could to stay and wait until Zero came back. She'd shower him with all the love and affection he'd have missed out on by then. Scold him, hit him too, maybe, and then give him a big warm hug before she forced him to talk so they could catch up on lost time.

It may be hard now, but Yuuki would be fine. She had him, her best friend, and Kaname-kun. She would never miss Zero any less, but time healed most wounds and the hurt would pass.

"Kiryuu-kun…" Kaname pursed his lips. The amount of shock he felt at the news of the younger boy leaving was alarming. But it was true; he felt a certain loss knowing he wouldn't be seeing the surly boy around campus any longer. There was a small part of him that was satisfied he wouldn't be around Yuuki to worry her, but it felt like empty victory.

It was wrong.

Since four years ago, no, close to five now, Zero was always with Yuuki. Whether she noticed or not, Zero was always watching her. He showed her his love in extremely subtle ways, his affection and presence much like a protective warm shadow – close and constant, but going unnoticed. Of course, Yuuki loved him in turn, Kaname could see that, but he doubted she truly understood how much Zero was willing to give up for her safety and happiness.

Zero's natural tendency to keep himself back also made it easy for Kaname to overshadow him in Yuuki's eyes. Kaname had known her longer, yes, but he was aware he himself wasn't so quiet when showing his own affection for Yuuki. If he bought something for her, he gave it to her personally to let her know it was from him. He complimented her without hesitation. He treated her gently, made his care for her obvious with light touches and hugs.

He and Zero certainly had their differences, but for Kaname, if he thought of Yuuki, thoughts of Zero would inevitably follow. It was natural for him to imagine them patrolling together, walking side-by-side, trading casual playful banter. But with Zero now gone, Yuuki would be on her own, and it felt wrong.

"He left…yesterday?" The pureblood murmured, mostly to himself. It was obviously during the night, late into early morning even, when Zero had made himself scarce. After his prefect duties were over and everyone had settled for sleep.

His wine red eyes narrowed as another thought made itself known. "Chairman, I am aware of Kiryuu-kun's…condition. How is he to manage that without proper…nutrients?"

"I've wondered too, but I trust Zero enough to assume he found something to help him." Or someone.

"You are sure of this?"

The chairman frowned. "I know you've doubted him before Kaname-kun, but I know Zero enough to be sure he wouldn't have turned to human blood." Or something equally disastrous. He couldn't help a slight bit of protective irritation at Kaname's question. He wished everyone knew of how intelligent Zero could be when in his element. Only Touga and himself probably knew of that, however.

Zero would never take such a huge step in altering his life without making sure he had all angles covered. That included one of the most obvious – his vampirism. And for Kaname to question that…Cross felt a little insulted on Zero's behalf.

But Kaname didn't know Zero as he or Touga did in that area; had no idea how gifted Zero was… Clear auburn eyes turning frighteningly calm and calculated, the chairman felt himself go cold as he remembered how Kaname would sometimes look at Zero when the boy was younger.

Like an object. With cold, detached eyes.

It was perhaps for the best Kaname didn't know as much as he thought about Zero. And it was probably also for the best that Zero had left. He didn't want to accuse Kaname of anything; the pureblood's feelings could have changed since then, but it scared him to think whatever Kaname was planning involved Zero in an unsavory way. That Kaname was even (or had been) contemplating to use Zero like a chess piece at all was disconcerting.

Familiar old feelings of paranoia easily built up inside him as he recalled Kaname's reaction to Zero suddenly leaving. Did the lack of Zero's presence somehow…_inconvenience_ Kaname in some way? And if so, why?

There were many things Kaname could use to hold over Zero and have him move and act however he wished. He was intelligent enough to predict in advance of how Zero would react to certain situations or carefully planned words. Everyone had a level of predictability, and if one were more unpredictable than most, that unpredictability would be what made them predictable.

And Zero… The chairman shook his head. He hated thinking this way. It was the reason why he was no longer a hunter. It was the reason why he now merely worked as the chairman of a school, and he hoped to continue doing so.

But he wasn't feeling this way because Kaname was a vampire. He was feeling this way because he knew how Kaname was, or at least how he tended to think on a general level. Kaname had his own predictability.

But he didn't have to interpret Kaname's reaction to Zero's loss as an…inconvenience. There was shock, certainly, surprise as well. The chairman could easily add that up to concern. Kaname would have been the last person Zero would ever bother informing his plans to, but the younger vampire had not even told he or Yuuki about it and simply vanished overnight.

His questioning of how Zero found a solution to his bloodlust could also be taken as worry for the prefect's wellbeing.

Cross sighed. There were always at least two ways to view something, and he comforted himself by letting his thoughts linger in the second possibility.

Now he really wanted to meet that mysterious someone that'd left with Zero, just to ease some of the terrible anxiety. Just another day and a half…

"Chairman, you mentioned Kiryuu-kun left a note?"

"Yes he did, sadly lacking in anything useful as to where he might have gone."

Kaname nodded. So they really were helpless in this. By now, Zero could have put enough distance between himself and the school, and there would be no way of tracking him.

Yuuki had sounded so vulnerable… Zero had better have a good reason for leaving if he'd done it with the knowledge of how much it might hurt Yuuki.

* * *

Yagari Touga was just taking a casual stroll, minding his own business when two of his Night class students came up to him and informed him their precious pureblood leader wished to discuss something with him.

Taking a long drag from his cigarette, he told them he'd go meet the kid on his own time. He was taking a relaxing walk and would like to enjoy it, thank you very much.

He took some satisfaction from their disgruntled expressions and went on past them. He could already tell what that pureblood would want with him anyway. Not that he was going to say anything. It wasn't like he knew much to begin with. He could only imagine what the kid's face would look like when he found Yagari wouldn't be of any help.

He grinned. So damn predictable…

It'd be nice to see him flounder about for a bit. Purebloods always thought they had everything under their control, stuck up arrogant lot that they were, and generally, were just major control freaks. The now dead Kuran siblings were also the same; just as manipulative and cunning. They'd just liked to do it nicely so they didn't seem as harmful.

He'd never felt guilt or remorse at their death, nor did he feel pain, compared to what Cross felt, but it wasn't like he'd been happy either. For him, it was just another couple of vampires gone. It was like killing rats that'd been going after your food. You were glad they were gone, but it wasn't like you felt anything for them, good or bad. They just had to go, so you worked to make it happen.

He'd rather not have that conversation with the pureblood at all, but he had no intention of having pissed off vampires in his class, and stepped on his cigarette before he headed for the Moon Dorm.

He'd been taken to a private (how private he'd no idea, and didn't particularly care) where Kuran was already there. Going ahead and taking a seat, he asked, "So what is this about?"

"Are you aware Kiryuu-kun has left the academy?"

"If I wasn't, now I am. What does Zero have to do with anything?" If the pureblood was bothered by his nonchalance, he didn't show it.

"He's most likely left yesterday, late night to early morning, without a word to anyone."

"All mad since he didn't go crying to that other prefect? Zero knows how to make his own choices. If he wanted to leave, it isn't anyone's business to try to stop him."

"Unless he's choosing to do something unwise."

Yagari narrowed his eye. How dare he? "Like you know what's better for him? You're just peeved he's out of your radar."

"You are not concerned at all? Or is it because you know, for fact, where he is, that makes you so calm?"

"I don't. But I know enough about him to trust him. Something I'm sure you're not all that familiar with. You shouldn't go poking around in places you've no idea about."

Again, those words. Kaname wished he could outwardly show his frustration. The chairman had told him something quite similar; of knowing Zero enough, of trusting him enough. Kaname knew Zero too. There'd never been a chance for trust, but Kaname did know Zero. He hated what both Yagari and the chairman implied, that they knew Zero far better than Kaname ever did or will. Something in him protested violently against the idea that others beside himself knew so much about Zero, knew so much more than Kaname.

And, if given a chance to change things, he _would_ have tried to gain Zero's trust and friendship. Tried to break the bitterly hardened wall Zero kept between himself and vampires, purebloods especially. He _would_ have, damn it. He'd have tried. Maybe he wouldn't have succeeded, but he'd have _tried_.

And yes, Kaname was peeved Zero was out of his 'radar', but not for the reasons the hunter thought. Because just as Zero had watched over Yuuki, Kaname had done the same for both of them. Of course, most of his attention went to Yuuki, there was nothing more important to him than keeping her safe, but he'd kept an eye out for Zero as well. He hadn't wanted to, but to do so just came naturally to him after some time. When he'd noticed on Zero reaching his limit against the vampire in him, even more so.

Despite whatever people liked to assume, Kaname did care for Zero in his own way.

"If that's all you wanted, vampire, I'll get going." Yagari moved to get up. When the pureblood failed to respond, he shrugged and headed for the door.

"Yagari-san, you are sure, that you've no idea where Kiryuu-kun might have gone?"

Yagari nearly paused before his hand touched the knob. "None." The pureblood should've phrased that question differently; he smiled to himself.

Ichijou poked his head in after the hunter had gone. "Kaname?"

"It's fine. I'd like to stay here a while."

The blond sent him a smile in return and closed the door quietly.

The moment he was out of hearing range, Kaname let out a sigh and stood up, walking to the window. Leaning on the sill, his other hand gently grasped the thick velvet curtain, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. Exchanging words with Yagari had unsettled him and he needed to balance himself—

Wine red eyes snapped open. Kaname froze before leaning in closer to the curtain and window, taking in another breath, inhaling deeply. It was faint, so very faint, but it was there. Zero's scent was here.

All of the rooms were cleaned daily. He didn't understand, if Zero had left yesterday, his scent should be washed off by now, and that was if the younger boy had, for some inexplicable reason, decided to come to the Moon Dorm in the first place. Why would Zero come here? It couldn't be to enjoy the view from this particular window.

Stepping away, Kaname slowly walked along the wall, his hand flat against it and his face close. He would've looked ridiculous to anyone that might've entered, with him sniffing the wall, but if this was the only way to find out anything about Zero…

Kaname stopped, for once utterly confused. Why did this room smell like Zero? It wasn't just the walls or the window. He leaned over one of armchairs and found the same faint smell lingering. He doubted anyone would notice unless they knew what they were looking for and had the same sensitivity as Kaname.

Kaname himself would never have noticed if he hadn't breathed in so deeply in a spot where Zero's scent just happened to linger. The mark of Zero's presence here, he felt, was something crucial. That the reason for why they were there was something Kaname needed to find out, to know. Zero had never felt shy about entering the Moon Dorm if he felt had to and it usually involved Yuuki.

But if it involved Yuuki and vampires, Kaname would know about it, and he didn't, so that possibility was ruled out. But, something in him insisted, Zero_ had_ come here, he did, and it was for something he'd felt was important enough to enter the snake's den.

As though suddenly led by something, Kaname headed for another of the private rooms. This one was used the most often when in need of some privacy, but there were others, set deeper into the dorms.

Opening the door carefully, he stepped into the first he came across, closing the door behind him and positioning himself in the middle of the room. Focusing on just finding Zero, he closed his eyes and took long, slow even breaths, as though in meditation, and kept his thoughts on the younger boy he wanted to know more about.

Where was he? And why did he leave? He'd left all that he'd known for the past five years to enter another place, another world. People didn't just wake up one morning wanting to leave everything behind.

Zero must have thought long and hard, weeks? No, maybe even months. He'd thought about leaving for so long…and knowing how it'd affect Yuuki and the chairman, he still chose to go.

_It must have hurt him too, to leave in such a way_.

Yes, it would have. But there had been something else that overweighed the sadness Yuuki or the chairman would have felt at his loss, another part of Zero Kaname was missing.

_What is it? What made you go?

* * *

_"Takuma?"

"Senri," the blond smiled warmly.

Senri tilted his head. "Is it Kaname-sama?"

Takuma blinked then laughed lightly. "Ah, I could never hide anything from you." He patted the spot beside him as an invitation.

Taking a seat beside him, Senri leaned on his shoulder. "Is it about not seeing our prefects today?"

"Yes." Kaname had gone to the chairman, but it didn't seem as though he'd found anything positive. Kaname looked anything but happy when he came back. Whatever he'd discussed with Yagari also seemed to bore no fruit in whatever the pureblood was trying to find.

Senri stayed silent. Something was changing. He didn't know whether it was good or bad, but something was. The absence of their favorite prefects today…was unsettling, especially considering how…close all three of them were.

_You mean Kaname-sama and Kiryuu._

Those two especially.

Senri doubted anyone besides him knew or noticed. Kiryuu was a better actor than anyone would have given him credit for. Senri himself would have gone on thinking the same as everybody else until he saw them, alone, but together. He hadn't needed to stick around to see whether he was right. He'd only need a glance to tell there was much more to Kuran Kaname and Kiryuu Zero than what they portrayed on the surface.

All they'd been doing was talking, but it was the gentle tones, soft and affectionate, relaxed, and at total ease, that Senri had caught. It was how close they were sitting, their shoulders and arms touching, heads close together. It was the adoring way Kaname-sama had turned and playfully nudged Kiryuu with his forehead, with a smile Senri had never seen or had though him capable of. They'd made a rather scenic picture, even from the back.

He hadn't told anyone, it wasn't any of his business what Kaname-sama did in his free time, nor was it Senri's secret to tell.

He'd started to watch them more often, though, when Kaname-sama and Kiryuu were in the public eye. Senri couldn't find single fault in their 'act'. It was flawless. Kiryuu really seemed to exude murderous hate vibes towards Kaname-sama, and Kaname-sama, in turn, reacted with his usual calm demeanor with the sliver of dislike shining through. Their words sounded genuine, they never repeated the same lines, nor did they sound recited or planned. It all seemed incredibly natural.

It was no wonder no one guessed at what was really going on beneath the hateful glares and condescending looks. Senri had given them small claps of applause in his mind for a job too well done.

"I know he doesn't have to tell me everything, but I can't help but worry." Takuma sighed.

"You worry about everything, Takuma," Senri softly replied. "It's a good thing you're a vampire or you would've gotten wrinkles from worrying so much." He'd seen what stress could do to humans, working in the entertainment industry with Rima. They had all sorts of troublesome health problems and their appearance deteriorated at an alarming rate.

Takuma laughed softly. "Another positive point for being a vampire."

Senri shrugged. "If Kaname-sama is troubled enough, he'll call for our help. He's asked us before." There had been a few occasions in which the pureblood had felt the need for their support. Senri was aware just because Kaname-sama didn't ask for help didn't mean he didn't need any, but by simple unspoken rules and boundaries, no one ever dared approach him to offer their help unless the pureblood himself asked.

"It'd be so much better if Kaname had someone to talk to."

He does, Senri silently answered. The last person any of them would have guessed, but he did have someone to be himself with. Most vampires never had such a chance. Kaname-sama was lucky.

* * *

"So he's safe?"

"Safer than he's ever been."

"Oh, thank goodness," Cross sighed, sagging in his chair. "Touga, you don't know how much that means to me, just those words."

Yagari chuckled. "I think I do."

Cross laughed lightly. "Yes, probably. You do know me better than anyone else." It was probably the reason why Touga had come up here in the first place, knowing how worried he was about Zero.

"You know who…who Zero left with?"

Yagari shrugged. "I've got an idea. A close acquaintance."

A close acquaintance? Cross blinked. He hadn't known Touga had a close anything. He frowned. Now he really just had to meet them. Touga had been careful not give out any hints. No names or descriptions, not even a gender.

"They said they'd be coming here soon. Will they?"

"If they said they'll be coming, I don't see why not." Yes, it wasn't like him to leave a mess behind.

Cross nodded, trusting Touga's answer for now. He smiled. "Thank you Touga." _Thank you_.

* * *

"Kiryuu-kun…left?" Wow, did he just drop out of high school? Sayori asked herself.

Yuuki nodded. "I don't…he never, never told us anything."

Sayori smiled sympathetically. "I know it hurts when you love someone and they don't tell you important aspects of themselves, but Yuuki, can you say you're all that surprised he didn't?" She asked kindly.

"Yori-chan," Yuuki started to protest, but when she looked up into her friend's soft gentle eyes, she couldn't hold in a sniff or the tears that stung her eyes. "He should've told me." She ended up whispering.

"And what could that have changed, Yuuki? You would still be hurt, and he would still be gone. Maybe he didn't want you to know to save you as much pain as he thought was possible."

"What?" How did that make any sense?

Seeing her friend's confusion, Sayori continued, "Say he told you about thinking of leaving, Yuuki. Imagine you knew about all of this…say three weeks in advance. Would you be able to act as you always do around him, knowing he would be leaving you so soon?

You would have moped, tried to convince him to stay, asked about why he would want to leave – done all the things a caring best friend would have done. You would worry, wondering if he'll be okay once he left.

Really, you wouldn't have been able to just push the matter away, Yuuki. Do you think he would've wanted to see you that way before he left?

If I were to put myself in Kiryuu-kun's shoes, I would've wanted to leave here remembering your smiles, genuine ones. Not those where you're trying not to cry and forcing your lips up. It's painful to see, Yuuki."

"Oh…" Her breath hitched. "Oh then Zero, he…" Her voice went high again, and the tears came back. She hadn't…she hadn't even thought of it like that. She'd been so selfish, just thinking of her own pain. And Zero…he'd thought of her wellbeing even to the last moment.

What Yori-chan had said was completely true. She would've done all of those things and more. She would've wanted Zero to stay. She would've worried.

"Yuuki, it's okay to want him to stay, wish he never left, be angry he never told you, but it's more important to wish him luck, hope that he's going to be happy at wherever he is, and also…"

"Also?"

"Remember to hit him over the head when he comes back and make him tell you everything he's done since he left. As a proper best friend should."

Yuuki laughed softly, her voice still weak, and shared a bright grin with Sayori. "Don't worry. I definitely won't be forgetting that."

"Good for you." Sayori gave a firm nod. "Now, are we going to sit here and cry all day, or clean ourselves up for a girl's night out? I'm thinking of getting myself some of that new cake they introduced at Red Clover's. What do you think?"

"It's the best thing I've heard since this morning." It _was_ kind of late, but she didn't think the chairman would mind, at least, not today. Yuuki could really use some of that new cake.

_I hope you're safe, Zero, and happy._

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights.

Ah, that was a lot of internal thinking for everyone :D Kaname has started looking, yes XD Don't worry dearie, that invitation is coming up :) I'll be getting back to Zero and the Michaels in the next chapter.

Thank you, thank you for all of your reviews! Lots and lots of Hugs and Kisses for all of you! :D


	6. Sixth Child

**Heartfelt Sacrifices  
**

_**Sixth Child**_

Zero woke to the sudden fear he was going to die by suffocation. Fortunately, that was not the case, and it was just two identical chirpy monsters sitting on his stomach and chest, making breathing a fair bit difficult.

"Julian, he's awake."

"Really? Well, let's get him dressed and into the bathroom so he doesn't look as if his hair was attacked by static and keep his teeth clean."

Nice of them to notice he was awake. It would also be nice if they could get their cheery asses off of him so he could do as the kid suggested. His glare wasn't working however. Zero had a sinking feeling threatening glares just didn't work on Michaels, period.

"Get. Off." Words would have to do.

"Father says you should always try to speak nicely. Being polite is important. Where is your 'please'?"

Maybe not.

Before Zero could show him his own version of 'please', Sebastian was smacked upside his head by Julian who wore a disproving frown.

"Father also hates hypocrites, Sebastian. Stop being deliberately obnoxious and let Zero get dressed."

"Thanks, but _both_ of you would need to get off."

Julian sent him a smile and moved to get off, pulling his brother with him by the arm. "Sorry. We'll go and tell Father you're awake. He wants to see you in his rooms."

Zero nodded and slipped out of bed, heading to the closet. He smirked as he heard Sebastian complain, "Julian, you're _always_ against me!" And Julian's unimpressed reply, "Stop being so dramatic."

Zero had been somewhat apprehensive about getting close to twins, but Sebastian and Julian's relationship was so different to the one he'd had with Ichiru, it made it easier to watch their interaction without any guilt or painful memories resurfacing. But it did fill him with what ifs. After all, if he and Ichiru hadn't been born to a line of hunters, they would have been normal twins, with Ichiru as a healthy child, free from the burden of trying to earn his place in a society where they based your worth on how much and how well you were able to kill.

Whether such simple changes would have made a difference, Zero would never know, but it was nice to know maybe there could have been a possibility of he and Ichiru developing a more amiable relationship. He still loved his younger brother.

And seeing what he walked in on after coming out of the bathroom, he was all the more convinced Sebastian and Julian were_ very_ much different from he and Ichiru.

"What the hell are you two doing?" He asked incredulously.

Julian smiled. "Sebastian lost a bet while you were in the bathroom. He's to act like a dog for the next five hours."

"I wasn't even gone ten minutes and you thought of a bet with conditions and completed it?"

"Yes. I asked him to name all of Alex's lovers and he came up six names short." He patted his twin's head, which was sporting a pair of dark furry ears. "What a forgetful puppy you are. Let's go for a visit to our dear older brother. Maybe he can go through every single one with descriptions and wonderful details to make you remember them better. Doesn't that sound nice?" And by 'descriptions and details' it was obvious Julian wasn't just referring to their physical attributes. Sebastian whimpered.

Zero sent him a pitying look. It couldn't be all that exciting, being forced to hear about Alex's sexual escapades. Julian could really be a sadist.

At first glance, many had the assumption of Sebastian being the harder one to handle, as outspoken and mischievous as he was. The younger twin knew how to unsettle people and took pride in it. With Sebastian, he didn't get used to strangers, strangers got used to him.

Julian was the quieter of the two, more polite and accommodating. That, Zero had found out, was just a way to get whatever poor unsuspecting soul meeting him that day to relax enough to become unassuming. He would observe and study his possible victim while talking to them and getting them comfortable to determine whether they were worth tormenting at all, before deciding to strike. With Julian, he was either the angel you loved and worshipped or the demon you were too scared to hate – and it all depended on whether he liked you or not.

"Do you remember where Father's rooms are?"

"Yeah."

"Good," Sebastian nodded. "But whatever you're going to talk about, make it quick. Father kicked us out before we got to have our breakfast."

"Sebastian?" Julian smiled. "Have you forgotten what you're acting as right now? Last I checked, dogs didn't talk. You really are forgetful aren't you? Come along, we need to go visit Alex. You at least remember that, don't you?"

Zero snorted. He half suspected Julian chose an animal for the bet simply for a chance to have an excuse to keep Sebastian quiet for five hours.

* * *

"Jamie?"

"Zero, good morning." Jamie smiled. "You're going to have to get used to calling me Father from today on, so please remember."

Zero frowned. "I never called the chairman Father and I won't be calling you that either, any time soon."

Jamie seemed hardly bothered by his words. "That's alright. Alex needed some time too." He gently led Zero to the middle of the room by his elbow. "I wanted to get your adoption done today. You can choose between getting blood adopted or magically adopted." He raised a finger. "I warn you now, though, getting blood adopted at your age is going to be _painful_."

It didn't take long for Zero to figure out why. "It's easier for genetic changes to set in when the person in question is younger physically." He concluded. "A younger body is more adaptable."

"Excellent," Jamie beamed. He couldn't wait to start teaching Zero. The boy was such a quick learner. "Now which will you choose?"

Zero hardly needed any time to think. "Magical adoption."

"Good choice. Keep still, right where you are. I'm going pull out magic from your core, and it's going feel weird, like there's something inside you, but try to relax." Jamie took both of Zero's hands in his own, palm-to-palm, entwining their fingers. He took a breath and closed his eyes.

Zero hated to possibly ruin the older vampire's concentration, but had to ask, "I have magic?" Regardless of him having been human once, he'd been turned by a pureblood, he was an Asian vampire, an ex-human. He'd assumed only European vampires were particular to magic.

_There's always an exception to everything_, a part of him whispered.

His eyes still closed, Jamie's lips lifted in an amused smile. "Yes, you do. You're a very special Asian vampire Zero," he softly murmured. "You, my dear child, are one in a few thousand. I can count the number of Asian vampires gifted with magic that I know of on one…no, sorry, two hands, and I know many vampires, Zero."

Yagari Touga had informed him of Zero's interesting 'vines'. The hunter had assumed it'd had to do with Zero's hunter heritage somehow weaving itself into the boy's vampirism, but Jamie, who was aware of Zero drinking Kuran Kaname's blood on a regular basis, had other assumptions.

The power contained in the pureblood's blood was certainly something to consider, but it couldn't have just been due to that. Zero, an ex-human, could currently fight and hold his own quite well against any level B vampire. Pure vampire blood offered power like no other for Asian vampires, but Jamie doubted it could do so much.

Kuran Kaname's blood was already working to keep Zero from falling prey to insanity and bloodlust. It was Zero's dormant magic that had done the rest in working to give birth to Zero's other particular abilities. The boy's magic worked in subtle ways, subconsciously, to keep their master and host alive and protected.

"Is that…is that the reason why you took me in?" Well, Jamie only did know you for a few months, what did you expect? That he cared? Everyone had their own motives, and it seemed Zero was their favorite toy. Did Jamie just want someone he could pass his knowledge down to?

Jamie's smile turned soft and gentle. "Zero, if you ever think that again, I'm going to make to you clean the _entire_ house as punishment. I took you in and decided to adopt you because I wanted to love you. My teaching you whatever I know is just an added bonus. It is for your benefit. It is only natural for a parent to want their child to know all that they can, to teach them what they know and watch them grow as they do."

Jamie looked up, his gem-like eyes glowing, "You can at least allow me to love you? Let me support you, be a guide when you're lost, a teacher when you're curious… Let me?"

Somehow, Zero couldn't push the opportunity away; push Jamie away. No one had…no one had quite so approached him, tried to connect with him this way. "Yes…"

Jamie beamed. "You've made me so happy with just one word, Zero. I feel like I'm floating." He said unabashedly.

Embarrassed, but knowing better than to move, as Jamie had told him not to, Zero settled for closing his own eyes and hoping his cheeks didn't look as warm as they felt.

"Thank you Zero, for giving me such a chance…" Jamie whispered. _I just hope you'll give Kuran Kaname the same chance, to love you and cherish you with all that he is – again._

Zero's eyes fluttered open when he felt something foreign start to mix with what he assumed was his own magic swaying around them. "Is that yours?"

Jamie nodded. "You really are very sensitive to magic, Zero. That will be to your advantage. It's also good for spell casting. Alex would have a field day with you."

"Oh god no." Zero muttered.

Jamie giggled. "Oh god_ yes_. Alex is brilliant at spell work, Zero, and he's very serious once he's started on the one thing he's passionate about that doesn't involve sex."

"Jamie!" Alex was his own son, wasn't he?

"Oh, it's nothing new. Alex knows it himself and takes pride in it. The number of lovers he's had over the years is…well, a lot. He takes care of them though, and only ever has one lover at a time."

"So it's really just a long list of failed relationships?" Zero clarified.

Jamie laughed, "Yes, I guess that's well summarized." He locked gazes with Zero again. "And I know you were there when I warded him off of you, but I don't want you adding to his list, not that I think you will. Alex, though, can be persistent."

Zero looked sick. "Sex with my own brother?" With someone other than Kaname? That was just unnatural. His body only had Kaname's imprint on it, and Zero wouldn't allow for anyone else's. It wasn't only out of love for him, well, maybe it was, Zero couldn't be sure, but just the thought of someone else touching him as Kaname had, with foreign hands, mouths, lips, and their… No, he'd probably get physically ill if that'd ever happened.

It just…it just felt _weird_.

Jamie smiled. "Good. Just keep to whatever you were thinking and Alex will lay off." He felt a lot more reassured. Zero really was someone to love once and only once. So strongly pure hearted he was…

_Kuran Kaname, you are one lucky pureblood_, Jamie thought amusedly.

For if he managed to pick up on the reason for Zero's decision to leave the academy, and by some miracle, also managed to find Zero, only to see the pale haired boy was with another, it would just turn into a long painful story. Jamie loved happy endings and wished the same for all six of his precious children.

But he wouldn't let Kuran Kaname get to Zero so easily. The young pureblood would be subjected to the tests and close scrutiny every parent held for their in-laws. Jamie would of course, try not to let his biased views get in the way of his son's happiness, but a father must do what a father must do.

_Should I have left a warning note for him as well?_ He pondered for a split second and amusedly decided it was for the best Kuran Kaname faced his tests, (or rather, it was just one, but a fairly big, difficult one) head on without prior knowledge.

_Think fast, young pureblood, I won't wait forever for you to come for Zero._

* * *

Allie closed her eyes and raised her head, her smile nothing but that of pure contentment. "Do you feel it Belle? Zero's magic absolutely _sings_. What a wonderful signature he has. It's a perfect combination with Father's."

"And as you said, perfect for Dancing." Belle smiled. "Alex will feel even more inclined to go after him," she sneered. She'd never approved of the way her brother went about seducing anything with a pulse. Not to mention, family members should be off limits, just as Father said. Zero was currently the baby of the family. There was no way she or Allie were going to let Alex get his grubby perverted hands all over their baby brother.

"Oh, maybe he will, but he won't do anything about it. You remember Father's warning to him." Allie smiled. "When Father insists on something, you do what he says, no ifs ands, or buts." She sang.

Belle nodded. "But you know how Alex can be…"

"And you know how Father can be."

Belle paused, thought for a mere second and snorted. Allie giggled. "See? Alex will not be going after Zero. Not if he knows what's good for him."

Belle smiled. "Well, now that we have that nuisance out of our way, we need to go back to sketching out designs for Zero and the twins." She tapped her pencil against the scattered pieces of paper that were on their coffee table.

"Yes, the twins need more clothes and I'm guessing you also saw Zero's 'luggage'? It was nothing! I don't know what he had in there, but there couldn't have been a lot of clothes."

"Pathetically little," Belle agreed. "And someone as adorable as our baby brother deserves to look his best."

Allie nodded solemnly. "Now, for a more casual look…" She quickly sketched out a shirt. "We could have that design on this cut, what do you think?"

* * *

"…And then there was Shirley, blonde, gorgeous beauty, with the most amazing eyes…"

Sebastian inwardly groaned. He felt like _dying_. He didn't know how long they'd been here, but it felt as though it'd been forever. He could have died happily right now with the knowledge that if he were dead, he'd at least be away from having to hear the details of his brother's love life.

If he had to hear another word on how perky a particular lover's breasts were or how tight their ass, he was going to summon a knife and stab his brother with it. Repeatedly. In the eyes, so he could never look at anything 'beautiful' ever again. But being blind would hardly stop him from having any less lovers than before, and Sebastian settled himself with imagining how Alex would react if placed with a spell that gave similar symptoms to erectile dysfunction.

Making sure not to make any noise, knowing his twin's sharp eyes were still on him, Sebastian tried to tune out his brother's rambling and concentrate on something more productive than asking his father for permission in just castrating his idiot older brother.

Speaking of brothers, their new one was a bit of a mystery. All that he and his siblings had been told were that the vampire was Asian and literally only eighteen years of age. So young! Humans really aged fast.

Sebastian blinked. Why did he just assume Zero was like them, previously human? Asian vampires were able to naturally procreate. It was more than likely Zero was a vampire by birth.

But only eighteen (nearly) years of age and so physically grown… Zero had to have been human and then turned by another vampire. He was, in Asian terms, an ex-human.

Sebastian pouted. It'd been two days since Zero had arrived here and he'd never picked up on it! He bet Father had told them Zero's real age for a reason and he felt disappointed in himself for completely missing it. Julian had probably made the connection the moment he heard it.

Argh, why didn't you work faster, brain? He mentally whined. Did Julian think he was stupid because he didn't notice? His older twin was usually the one that picked up these kinds of things faster, but still… Julian's opinions meant the world to him…

Julian left his face impassive, though he was more than aware of his brother's dejected, woeful eyes set in his direction. He wondered at the sudden change. It was more of tortured annoyance (which Julian assumed came from actually listening to Alex) before it'd turned into the kicked puppy look.

Finally, he let out an inaudible sigh and beckoned his twin over with a discreet wave of his hand. "What is it?" He murmured. "Talk to me in sign language."

Sebastian hesitated for a moment before making use of his hands.

Julian blinked. God, Sebastian could be such an idiot. With thoughts like that, of course Julian would think him stupid. "I didn't get it immediately either, Sebastian. It didn't hit me until later, why Father gave us Zero's actual age." He lied.

It hadn't been hard to put the pieces together on that, he silently admitted. But it wouldn't do for his younger brother to feel like he was less intelligent because of something so trivial. Really, Sebastian could be sensitive about the weirdest things…

He seemed to lighten up a bit however. Julian could never think his younger twin really was stupid. Besides, they had the same brain. If Julian was the way he was, how could Sebastian be any inferior?

The twins looked up when Alex stopped moving his mouth and just smiled.

"What is it?" Julian asked.

"Looks like we've officially gained another brother."

Julian tilted his head. "Both of their magic has died down." So the adoption had gone smoothly. Though he expected nothing less of his father. Julian narrowed his eyes at Alex. "You like him already. If you make any moves on Zero, you won't just have Father after your horny ass, brother. You cross Father, you cross us."

"And here I thought it was because you somehow managed to develop brotherly love for him." Alex smirked.

Julian raised a brow. "In two days? Only an idiot would trust a stranger in such a short amount of time, much less love them. Though really," he smirked back, "you give a whole new definition to idiot on that account, brother."

Alex glared and stood up. "Sometimes I just want to sew your mouth shut with thorny vines, see if that teaches to speak so freely." He didn't like having his feelings mocked, especially by a brat that had no idea of what he was feeling.

"Such violence and sadism, my lips are trembling." Julian smiled.

"Julian, you—!"

"And stop right there, dear children. I don't want a bloodbath on my hands. I thought both of you above petty verbal insults. Joking around is fine, but there are things better left unsaid on some circumstances, no?" Jamie gave light smacks (which Zero felt were more like pats) on their dark heads before turning to look up at Alex with a warm smile.

"I won't deny it Alex, I did feel a little worried about you and Zero, but I've seen and heard enough to know I can trust you on this. Actually, I am sorry to have doubted you in the first place." He pressed his fingers to his lips and placed them against his eldest son's smooth cheek. "Forgive me?"

"Father…" How could he ever say no? The tiniest of smiles, loving and affectionate, curled his lips, and he held his father's small slender hand against his face, turning his head to place a chaste kiss to his soft palm. "Of course." He whispered.

"Thank you," Jamie said, his voice just as quiet. "I'll take care of Julian and Sebastian," he soundlessly mouthed, and turned to the twins. "Come along, my adorable little troublemaker and current puppy. I realize it's my fault for withholding your breakfast from you, being so cranky towards your older brother. Let me rectify that now, hm?" Hands on their small shoulders, Jamie led them out of the room.

As soon as his father and the two brats were out of the room, Alex sighed and shook his head. He turned an apologetic smile to Zero. "Sorry you had to walk in on something like that."

Zero nodded lightly. "It's alright."

An awkward silence filled the air around them before Alex cleared his throat. "About what Julian was saying—"

"That's alright too," Zero blurted. "Jamie…Jamie told me you had…a lot…of lovers." He mumbled.

Alex couldn't help another sigh. "Yes, I have. And I didn't mean to make you feel like another tally mark on my post. I cared for each and every one of my lovers, some more than others, but I did care for them."

Zero noted while Alex seemed honest, he never mentioned loving any one of them. Just that he 'cared' for them.

_Why do I get the feeling that was exactly the reason why he ended up separating from every single one of them?_ Zero wondered dryly.

"You really don't need to worry about any 'advances' on my part," Alex tried to go for a reassuring smile. "Though, if you ever change your mind and want a little nightly company, I wouldn't be too opposed in fulfilling that role." He winked.

Zero rolled his eyes. "That's exactly why Jamie was worried. But I'd have to decline. I won't ever be changing my mind." His memories of Kaname were more than enough to keep him from feeling alone on any night.

Alex sent him an easy smile. "I thought so. But it wouldn't really be me if I didn't make the offer right?"

Zero shrugged. "I don't really care what makes you, you." People just were.

"Ouch!" Alex playfully winced. "Do you hate me so much?"

Zero stared, his gaze flat and far from moved. "That wasn't even meant to be offensive."

Alex snorted. He'd gained such a charming brother.

* * *

In another part of Japan, in another school, a young boy who'd just had his seventeenth vampire birthday a few weeks prior gazed excitedly down at a few sheets of paper, the smile on his lips wide and the emotion in his pale honey gold eyes one of genuine childish delight.

Kitou Yuushi was one happy pureblood that particular day, and it showed. His close friend and confidant, Katamura Akira raised a curious dark brow in his direction. Natsume Kyosuke snorted softly, sitting not far off with his arms folded over the back of the chair he sat on, and answered, "Jamie Michaels just got another kid."

Pushing up his glasses with the slightest movement of his fingers, Akira nodded, understanding the situation immediately. Yuushi looked up to Jamie Michaels like a nephew would their favorite uncle. And when he'd been younger (a toddler really), he'd followed the older vampire around like a duckling after its mother.

"He gets like this whenever there's news from Jamie's end," Kyosuke muttered.

"Wouldn't you be happy to hear from a loved one?" Akira asked. Kyosuke merely slid his gaze to the side, grumbling.

"Yuu-chan, is something the matter?" Another male entered the room, slender and petite, his dark leather bag in one hand and fixing his tie with the other.

"Oh, Nagi! Jamie just got another boy! And he says he's really cute."

Tokieda Nagi smiled warmly as he took a seat. "I'm glad for him and his new son. I assume everything went well over there?"

Yuushi's smile was enough of an answer.

"What is this I hear about a cute boy?" A tall blond poked his head in, his pale cream-colored hair falling over his shoulders.

Kyosuke rolled his eyes. "Takaya how is it that you always manage to have such a one-track mind?"

The boy never received an answer, as Yusa Takaya merely walked by him breezily and sat himself next to Yuushi. "So, did Jamie send a picture or something?"

Yuushi stared at his friend warily, "Or something," he answered. "He just gave simple descriptions. Silvery hair, lilac eyes, really pale skin…"

"Anything more?"

Yuushi hesitated before continuing, "…He also mentioned him looking much like Satsuki."

Takaya perked up. "Like Satsuki? Is he sure? The new kid _must_ be a real beauty! Ow!"

Saiga Satsuki lifted the heavy book from Takaya's head and gave it another good smack with it for good measure. "Don't involve me in your sick fantasies, Yusa, they're sick."

"Oh, Satsuki-cha—" Takaya was cut off by the book smashing into his face.

"Satsuki-chan, you'll hurt him if you keep going," Nagi cut in worriedly, starting to stand from his chair. Satsuki paused in lifting the book once again for another smack and turned his attention to Nagi. After a moment of staring into wide concerned dark eyes, he lowered his arm, sent a warning glare to Takaya, and settled himself next Nagi, pouring the younger vampire some tea from the pot that'd been left on the table before flipping open his book.

Kyosuke snickered quietly, and Yuushi sent the noble vampire next to him a sympathetic smile. Akira shook his head and went back to looking over papers. Some things were just better off forgetting.

Yuushi blinked at catching sight of another envelope. Lifting it up, he turned it right side up and read out the sender's name,

"Kuran…Kaname…?"

Akira looked up sharply, his cobalt eyes narrowing. "Kuran?"

Yuushi blinked. "You know who this is?" He couldn't even determine the gender, as Kaname was a unisexual name.

Kyosuke's brows rose to his hairline. "Kuran? You mean pureblood Kuran? As in – the purest vampire line Kuran?"

Nagi tilted his head, smiling. "It's hard to believe there's a vampire line more pure than Yuu-chan's."

"That's simply because of Yuushi's magical inheritance on top of his pureblood lineage." Akira answered. He doubted any Asian vampire, pureblood or not, could claim to be more powerful than Yuushi, in his age group.

But what could someone like Kuran Kaname want with them? With Yuushi? Their parents had all long since cut ties with the main Japanese Vampire Council, and last he checked, Kuran Kaname was still dancing to their tune.

"Yuushi, what does the letter say?"

The pureblood tapped the dark letter with a smile and the envelope perked up before shuddering, breaking apart into wispy smoky dark tendrils, rearranging themselves into crisp words in the air.

All six vampires in the room blinked as they read everything.

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights or the lovely boys from Invisible Boy.

This was more for getting a better feel for the Michaels...

Why Yuushi, a pureblood, isn't familiar with Kaname, _the_ pureblood of all purebloods, is because there really wasn't a need to. His parents and those of the other boys with him (as well as a few others) cut ties with the main Vampire Council and practically have their own faction that's completely separate. The school they attend is solely for vampires (noble or not), though they do have a branch that humans attend.

The council pretends they don't exist and they in turn, do the same. Some though, like Akira, keep themselves in tune with the 'other side' and their going ons. That includes Kaname and his ambiguous position in regards to the council. He knows Kaname isn't bending backwards and forwards for them out of the generosity of his heart, and that worries him.

Next chapter, we'll get to Jamie visiting Cross and possibly, Touga (just for a friendly 'Hi, are you dead yet?' and maybe a push/nudge/nosy poking around in the man's romantic interests. 'I know you have someone in mind, Touga.')


	7. Anticipated Answers

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

_**Anticipated Answers**_

Julian mumbled softly as he buried his face against his father's pale neck. Breathing in his familiar scent, he let out a smile and yawned softly. Father smelled so good… And he tasted exquisite.

Now, if he could only bring himself to wake him, Julian frowned. His father just looked so peaceful whenever he slept, it was always hard for he and Sebastian to try to get him up.

"Father, you said you needed to head somewhere. You'll be late." He whispered.

"Hm? Julian? What is it, little one?"

"Father, you'll be late to wherever you were planning to go if you don't get up."

Sleepy sea-green eyes turned to the clock. "Ah, you're right, of course. He must be terribly worried. Thank you for waking me, Julian. I trust you're full?"

"Yes Father, both Sebastian and I are fine."

Jamie smiled and leaned down for a sweet kiss to his son's forehead. Slipping out of bed, he headed for the bathroom.

* * *

Cross tried to keep from biting his nails, something he hadn't done since childhood. He instead busied his teeth with biting his lips. It'd been two days. It had been two days and he'd still yet to see neither hide nor hair of this mysterious someone that'd left with Zero.

He started to have his doubts, but he tried to tell himself, there really hadn't been a specified time or date with an uncertain 'hopefully' attached before the mention of seeing him. Maybe they were running late?

But if they were late, how would he prepare for their presence at all?

"Hello, Cross Kaien, yes?"

Cross nearly jumped and screamed like a little girl (Yuuki would've never let him live it down), but managed to contain himself and turned around with a hesitant smile.

"Ah, yes, that's me."

"Wonderful. Lovely scarf, my daughters would love the color."

Cross couldn't say the man standing in front of him was what he'd imagined or expected, but it was a surprise someone like Zero had agreed to travel with him, no offense. He just seemed so…cheery?

He was also extremely beautiful, in a delicate, meticulous sort of way, as though he were a doll crafted from the finest of hands, every detail carefully considered and planned before being marked out. His skin was as pale as Zero's, and his sleek hair, curled adorably at the ends, framed his small face, a dark inky midnight. His eyes though, were just as unique as Zero's, their color a shade Cross hadn't ever seen in a person.

Could someone human be this beautiful? Even the man's voice was hard to ignore, soft and smooth, lilting and gentle. It beckoned others to listen. He talked just like the note he'd left. It was cute, in a way.

"You…don't feel like a vampire, yet I feel you are one," he quietly murmured. There was something to this man that wasn't all human. It was troubling, that Cross couldn't sense him as a vampire.

The man smiled, chirping, "And you would be correct. I am of European descent. Jamie Michaels. There's nothing wrong with not being able to sense me. I made it so I could come here with some discretion." There was no need for the entire Night class to be aware and wary of his presence. It would only result in spending unwanted time and attention to those that hadn't even the need to speak to him in the first place. Jamie was here for Chairman Cross and his daughter, no others.

"European?" Cross blinked. They certainly wouldn't have found Zero anywhere near Japan even, if that were true.

Jamie smiled. "Let's not get into that now, shall we? We're here for Zero."

Something in Cross jerked at hearing Zero's name, and he nodded stiffly. "May I take some time to get Yuuki? I know she will want to be here for this."

"Of course."

It was only a few minutes' time before the chairman came back in with an anxious looking Yuuki. She sat apprehensively next to her adoptive father and across from the man that'd left with Zero.

"Um, I'm Cross Yuuki." She didn't know what else to say. She wished Zero were here, but that'd defeat the purpose in his leaving the academy. She wouldn't have let him leave again without some sort of explanation.

The man smiled beautifully. "Jamie Michaels. Just Jamie is fine, and you can relax. I'm not here with bad news."

She nodded. Right. As though Zero leaving in the first place wasn't 'bad news'.

"I suppose, the beginning, is where I should start things," Jamie said softly. "Which would be around three months ago."

Yuuki clenched her small hands into fists atop her knees, wrinkling the ends of her dark skirt. Three months? Zero had been planning this for so long? She felt her heart squeeze. She hadn't noticed a thing… What kind of sister or best friend was she?

Three months… She tried to rapidly think back on what was happening around that time, if Zero were acting any different. He, she remembered, he was gone often, but that really wasn't anything to go by. She should've watched him more closely, let him know she was there for him more clearly. Then, then maybe Zero wouldn't have had to turn to, well, a stranger for help.

She didn't have anything against Jamie-san, but she didn't know him, and up until three months ago, neither did Zero. For someone as closed off to strangers as Zero to have reached out for that very thing, trusting them enough to leave with them…hurt. That Zero would choose to go off into the unknown, something he so vehemently shied away from, instead of feeling secure enough to trust her with his problems. The soft ache that'd pulsed inside her the past few days renewed its efforts in pounding against her ribcage, hot, heavy and strong. A loose thread of doubt pulled forth, loosely curling around her heart. Maybe she wasn't as important to Zero as she felt he was to her?

No, she shook her head. The note he left her said more than enough; more than he'd ever tell her in person. She still had it with her, kept safe in her drawer. She'd treasure and believe in his last words. Not to mention, Yori-chan had practically forbid her from blaming herself and had pointed out a fair amount of points for her to consider and think about. She wouldn't give doubt to herself, nor would she feel any for Zero. She wouldn't let something like this place distrust in him.

"A mutual friend introduced us. I had knowledge that Zero needed at the time, and offered my services."

"Knowledge?" Yuuki asked, looking up. So Zero was researching something? What was it? It must be related to why he'd left so suddenly. And if it had been for three months, it must also have been a difficult topic to look up information on. What could it…?

Oh. She felt like giving herself a firm knuckle to the head. The realization came falling on her like a two-by-four. If it had to do with Zero, and a topic that wasn't so widely common, what else could it be, but vampires? Zero had been looking something up relating to them either directly or indirectly and—

"Um, are you, you know…" She vaguely gestured. He did look inhumanly beautiful.

Jamie sent her an amused smile. "I am a vampire, yes."

"So the knowledge Zero needed really had to do with vampires?" Was he…was he looking for more ways to…kill them? But if he'd left with Jamie-san, and Jamie-san was a vampire, that wouldn't make any sense. It was something else relating to vampires.

"Mm…excellent guess. Yes, it did, though it is not my place to say what exactly." He could only tell them so much without completely breaking Zero's trust.

"Your mutual contact, is it Touga?"

"Yes, it's him. He wanted Zero to know as much as he could before taking any big steps."

Cross relaxed considerably at hearing this. "But by 'taking steps' you mean he meant to do something with what he learned from you."

Jamie nodded, the smile curving his lips small and soft. "He did, and I'm sure you are both aware, that desperation that fuels you when wanting to protect something with your all? That feeling of determination, in giving up all you have, if doing so could give even the slightest bit more protection?"

Yuuki's eyes widened and she let out a soft sound, her face crumpling. Zero…was that why…? Was that why he left? Someone he loved was in danger? He wanted to protect them?

"Oh god," she half laughed, half choked. It was so Zero she didn't know whether to laugh or cry again. So very, _very_ Zero. But even so, she just – just, _ugh!_

"He's…he's always thought he never deserved anything good. And that if happiness came by, it would leave sooner or later, that it couldn't possibly stay." It was all in the way he rejected anything that could remotely be any good for him. Someone's caring words, their friendship, a kind gesture, and, she wanted to snort, love confessions…those too.

She pulled in a shuddering breath before forcing air and words out of her lungs and mouth. "And I could never," her voice broke, "I could never make him see things any different," she whispered fiercely, her eyes stinging. Her head was bowed, and her body trembled the slightest bit, her hands hurting from clenching them so hard. "Zero's so smart, he could do anything, but he's so _blind!_" She burst out.

"_I care!_ I want to be part of what makes him happy! And, and," ugh, she was terrible, she screamed at herself, "I don't know what else to do but show him how much I love him…" Didn't know what else… But whatever she tried, it obviously hadn't worked, she told herself callously. Not if Zero didn't understand. Not if he still thought he wasn't good enough for hugs, for smiles, for genuine laughter.

Yuuki nearly flinched at the sudden warm hands on top of her own. They were only slightly bigger than her own, squeezing her hands gently, before slowly coming up to brush against her eyes, wiping away most of her accumulated tears.

"You are completely and utterly right, dear one. And I think Zero knows that as well." Buried somewhere deep (_deep_) down below the heavy guilt and self-blame. "In his stories of you, he would look so gentle, speak so softly, as though you were fragile enough to break from the slightest pressure. He knows you love him, and he loves you in turn. He treasures you, you are precious to him, and you did bring him happiness; with every moment you spent with him, with every word you spoke to him.

"And how could you not? You are a wonderful girl. He knows that. He sees it, and he feels it."

Yuuki tried to keep any more tears from filling up her vision and sniffled. "Zero's, Zero's such a stupid head." She whispered, her voice wet and uneven. How could he ever think any of them would be happy if he went away, if he sacrificed himself?

Jamie laughed softly next to her, his eyes warm. "Ah, yes, though I love him as well, that, my dear, is very much true for him as of now."

Yuuki turned to look up at him, her eyes hard. "Don't you think so? I wish I could bring him back right now and give him that promised hit over the head!" She raised one of her clenched fists and shook it fiercely in the air above her head, pausing when she saw both the chairman and Jamie-san were staring, smiles on their lips.

Her cheeks flushing a bit, she coughed. "Well, I really do wish I could. But," she turned back to Jamie, "he didn't leave for just that, did he? He could have left by himself if he wanted just that." She knew how much Zero hated to 'bother' anyone.

"Such a sharp girl. Yes, he left with me, so I can teach him more of what he wants to know, and it'll be easier if he were with me. All of my resources would be free for him to use whenever he wishes and I will also be there for him should he have any questions."

Yuuki nodded contemplatively. "Zero's really serious about it… Well, when isn't he, right?" She let out a soft, wistful laugh. "But if you're just going to teach him, that means he'll come back sometime, right?" The amount of hope in her voice nearly made Jamie cave, and he settled for giving her an uncertain smile.

"I hope the same for him, this is his home, after all, where he grew up and spent much of his human life, but I cannot be sure as to when. When I do feel he's learned enough, however, I will give him a nudge." Or more like push off a cliff. Preferably with Kuran Kaname. Get that supposedly intelligent lover of his to make him see some sense.

"You'll…make sure he comes back?" To us?

"To the best of my abilities." And back to his lover.

After seeing the Cross family in person, Jamie felt he needed to bring Zero back to his loved ones more than ever. Both were in much pain over the separation. It wouldn't do for Jamie and his family to be too selfish in keeping Zero from them. Jamie was aware Zero was conveniently using them as an excuse to stay away, and he would have to persuade him otherwise.

"Um, thank you…?"

Jamie chuckled. "You're welcome, though none is needed. I should be apologizing for taking Zero away so suddenly. I am sorry for that."

"If Zero's happy, I'm happy too. I'll be alright." She responded determinedly. She would be fine.

Yuuki blinked when Jamie leaned forward to press his lips against her forehead. "You're a strong girl." He whispered.

Zero still needed time to sort out his feelings and let Kuran Kaname back in.

* * *

"Kuran Kaname is coming here, _here_, to Ouka Academy?!" Kyosuke demanded.

"Thank you, Kyosuke, for stating the obvious for the umpteenth time." Akira cut in swiftly before the other vampire could go off on another rant.

Nagi fidgeted nervously, asking, "If he's coming, should we prepare something?" Kuran Kaname was a pureblood that'd grown up under the original Council. He would of course, be expected to be presented with the treatment they had for purebloods over on their side.

Satsuki spared Nagi a glance before murmuring, "I've got tea sweets from my house in the mini fridge." It was also a silent offer to make the tea.

Yuushi sent him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I know he's a pureblood, but he's been with the Council, so I can't be too sure of what to expect from him. He sounds like in need of some help though, from his letter, so we'll all try our best, yes?"

He beamed as he got five answering nods (one grudging, nervous, impassive, thoughtful, and amused). He raised a finger as he looked down at his watch, "And…he's coming in…five, four, three, two, one…" He paused.

"He's here." Akira finished. They could all sense the pureblood's aura. Nagi and Yuushi were already gone, instantly appearing at the entrance to welcome their short on notice guest.

By the time they came back up to the private student council rooms of the academy, Satsuki already had the tea and sweets out and prepared on the table. After greeting Kaname, they excused themselves from the room to give the two purebloods some privacy.

Kaname had an amused smile playing on his lips. "You needn't go through the trouble. I don't plan to stay long."

Yuushi laughed lightly, glad this pureblood in particular seemed to allow himself some space, unlike some others too uptight for even a smile. Kuran Kaname seemed an easy-going gentle soul once he let himself go. "That may be so," he responded, "but I don't think the previous state of this room would have been appropriate for any guest, and we want to make you feel comfortable, no matter how short your stay. It'd be nice if you left here with pleasant feelings, no?"

Kaname's smile turned softer. "I do hope so."

Yuushi nodded sympathetically, before getting down to business. Kaname didn't seem like someone to dance around a subject for too long. "I…well, I couldn't help but get the feeling you were asking something from us. I don't know if we can offer any suitable help, but we'll give all we've got."

"No need to exert yourself so much for my sake, but I did need confirmation on something, yes. I've done my own research and have sadly come up empty-handed." Kaname had to force himself to continue. It wasn't easy for him to admit he needed assistance in something or that he'd fallen short of fulfilling a set goal to a practical stranger. He'd had Takuma and Aidou look into it along with him and still hadn't been able to come to a satisfying conclusion.

"There is a certain scent in a few of our dorm rooms, extremely faint, that I suspect hasn't faded in over a day. Our rooms, all of them, are cleaned daily. Nothing should be left to smell on any part of our rooms, with the exception being our bedroom, perhaps. I am aware there are charms to either wipe certain scents away or preserve them, but none I've seen ever lasts longer than hours, much less a day."

Yuushi nodded. "I understand your concerns. But if you couldn't find any charms that fit the criteria, it probably wasn't done by vampire charms. Seals, I know, would be a dead give away – they always leave a mark, so it must be something else altogether."

Kaname was at a loss as to what the other might be getting at before his eyes widened slightly and he let out a frown. 'Something else altogether' implied whatever had preserved Zero's scent in the private rooms had not been done by normal _Asian_ vampire means. That just opened up a whole other trunk full of questions he could find no answers to.

As though reading his mind, Yuushi smiled wryly. "This is getting to be bigger than I ever assumed. We don't get many foreign vampires here, nor do we keep track of who goes in and out. Did you…were you able to sense anything in particular besides a specific scent? Another element that felt unfamiliar?"

Kaname understood the reason behind the question and shook his head. "No, rather, it felt familiar, more than not." Terribly familiar…so much so, he hadn't even thought to question it until now. It just seemed so natural for it to be in the rooms. Zero's aura…his presence…

"Then it must be related to someone or something you know, are familiar enough with."

Relating to Zero? Yes, that was obvious, but he'd never interpreted the lingering scent as Zero's doing. Why would the hunter want to leave a trace of himself behind when he worked to leave as quietly as possible?

But even if it hadn't been Zero, someone had wanted him to find Zero's scent. Someone had wanted him to find it, study it, to find out more about the missing male prefect.

Why did Zero, as a person, feel so close? Why did Kaname feel that he knew him so well, going as far as to feel resentment he'd never felt before against those that claimed he didn't? Why did the younger vampire's disappearance tear such shock through him?

There was something vital he was missing about one Kiryuu Zero, and this scent was the only way to his answers.

* * *

"You _what?"_ Yagari demanded incredulously. "I let you take him because I thought you were taking him away from here," from _him_, "_permanently,_" he emphasized.

"I am aware." Jamie smiled. "Goodness, you're as tense as ever, Touga."

The hunter stiffened even further when he felt small hands at his shoulders, only to relax involuntarily a moment later when they expertly worked to feel out for his sore muscles. Damn it.

Jamie laughed softly, as though reading his thoughts. "So stubborn. You'll never change, will you?" He continued moving his hands. "But Touga," he murmured softly, "one can't stay away from their home forever. They must always go back to their roots."

"Then keep him away until it's safe to come back." Yagari muttered sharply.

"And when will that be, love? A pureblood vampire here, unless killed or suicidal, practically has eternal life to sustain them. Zero will die first before ever getting the chance to come back." He gave an especially hard push against the man's shoulder with his thumb, pulling forth a groan.

"You will try to keep his family from him? Zero will forever regret not seeing them again before they die, Touga, you know that. Home is where the people you love wait for you. If they are gone by the time he returns, this will be no home."

"Sacrifices—"

"Do not talk to me of sacrifices, child," Jamie's voice hardened. "I know you want what is best for him, what is _safest_ for him, but what anyone in this world needs is love. What does it matter who it's from, as long as it's genuine?"

"You've never met him," Yagari growled out. "You don't know what his kind are capable of."

"And you do? What have you seen, Touga? How many of these purebloods do you claim to know? Do you know one enough to have them spill their deepest darkest secrets out to you, ones that maybe claim of taking over the human race as you so seem to fear?" The sarcasm in Jamie's voice had Yagari narrowing his eye in pain and frustration as he slammed his fist down against the arm of the chair he was sitting on.

"I don't need to know things like that from them to know what _they're_ like!"

"Touga…" The hunter hated the way he automatically calmed at the soft, soothing quality of Jamie's tone. His anger just seemed to seep out of him at the sweet tenderness he doubted anyone else could manage to hold in a single word.

"Touga, please think about this. Think of Zero and what he needs, not what you think he needs."

"If you're so against keeping him away from here, why did you take him?" Yagari asked quietly.

"Because Zero needs to learn, on his own, that he can't keep living the way he does now. He needs someone to care for him as more than just a friend, a sibling, or a parent. He needs a lover." Jamie smiled. "As do you."

Yagari stiffened all over again. "What?"

Jamie hummed. "Hm? Was I not clear on something?"

Yagari grunted. "No."

Jamie held in a laugh at the hunter's suspicious tone. "Zero needs love, a kind he can't receive from us."

"He can get it from someone that isn't _him_," Yagari strained out. "He could find some else…"

"He can't, Touga," Jamie said softly, "you yourself know that better than most."

"Damn it."

Jamie chuckled. "Yes, maybe for you." He released the hunter's shoulders, patting them softly. "Why don't you try to see Kuran Kaname for the person he is, not as the pureblood he is? I am sure you'll start to see something very different."

"Mm…" Yagari reached for a lighter and grimaced when it failed to light the cigarette between his lips. Feeling a tap at his shoulder, he instinctively turned and blinked when Jamie blew lightly on the tip of his cigarette, successfully doing what his lighter failed to do.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Of course, though you know how I feel about those things. Humans are frail enough and you go about hurrying for death, smoking those horrid sticks." Jamie made a face.

Yagari merely shrugged. This was a conversation they'd had on many an occasion – practically every time they met. Whatever Jamie said against his habits, he never actively tried to stop him, claiming it was Yagari's own choice to do with what he wanted with his life, including the way he died.

_"What is a man without his stubborn pride?" _Jamie had lightly laughed out.

"You came here for them, didn't you?" He asked, meaning Cross and the girl.

"Yes, though it was also to see how you were doing. Kaien-san and his daughter are wonderful, no?"

Yagari didn't offer an answer to that. Of course Jamie would love them. Touga didn't think Jamie knew how to dislike anyone. The man had only known love in his life, human or vampire. Hate wasn't in his mental vocabulary, nor did it have any room in his heart.

He'd initially thought that a good reason to leave Zero with him, but with what Jamie was bringing up, he was starting to reconsider his decision. He hadn't been wrong in assuming Jamie would love Zero as though he were his own, but he'd hoped the vampire would share his views on the relationship Zero shared with that damnable pureblood.

"Touga, I love Zero. I wish I could spare him from any future pain, but more than that, I want him to be happy. If Zero loving 'that damnable pureblood' makes him so, I don't mind at all."

"Jamie!"

"I don't." He curled a lock of hair around his finger. "But it's not as though I trust him either. I haven't met him, after all, so you can at least be rest assured I won't be letting him reach Zero so easily."

Yagari blinked in confusion. "Then why did you…?" His eye widened. "You…!"

"Yes, I did." Jamie chirped. "The ultimate test of love and friendship! Romantic isn't it?"

"This isn't a game."

"Of course not. This is my son's life at stake. I'm plenty serious."

Yagari sent him a flat stare.

* * *

"Did you feel anything else besides the scent? Any small detail is fine. I don't care if it sounds ridiculous."

"One of the rooms held a stronger scent than the rest." The one that'd been closest to his own bedroom, in fact. "And the air, the atmosphere in it simply felt…light, soft almost." For a room that usually felt cold and professional, it was certainly unusual, but he hadn't thought much of it at the time.

Yuushi sighed in relief. "Thank you, really, for mentioning that. I almost thought we'd have to start with nothing." He stood up from his seat and went to rummage around on one of the tightly packed shelves, running his finger along the spines of the books before coming to rest on one of them and pulling it out. "Magic that leaves a sort of atmospheric residue is rare, and only consistent of a single race of vampires." He went back to the table to show Kaname what he'd picked out.

"European Sealing Methods?" A European vampire? Kaname made a small note to increase the variety of books the academy library carried.

"Mm," Yuushi nodded. "I know a good friend of mine who's European. I could ask him for any information on whether one of his kind has come across here recently."

"Thank you." A European? It seemed hardly believable. Kaname himself had never met a vampire of such a race, and to think Zero of all people had somehow gotten in contact with one seemed baffling.

Why would a vampire he'd never met want to leave clues of Zero behind for him to find and follow?

"Well, we can at least count on whoever's been lurking around your dorm to be rather lacking in skill." Yuushi noted absently, flipping through the book.

"Why is that?"

"If trained enough, European vampires are capable of leaving not a trace of themselves behind. If you've felt the atmospheric residue, the chances are, he or she isn't very advanced in their field and could possibly have left other leads for us to jump on, or they're clever enough and are leading us around by our noses."

"I dearly hope for the former," Kaname murmured. Yuushi laughed lightly, nodding, "So do I, so do I."

Two knocks came at the door before it opened and Kyosuke stuck his head in, along with a tray of snacks. "Hey Yuushi, you two up for some cookies? Nagi made them."

Yuushi immediately brightened at the thought of Nagi's cookies. "Kaname-san, they're really good, if you would care for some?"

"I wouldn't say no to handmade cookies," Kaname smiled.

"Oh, good! I hope you like them. They're a favorite amongst us, even Katamura-san, who doesn't like to eat a lot of sweets."

Kaname agreed, they certainly tasted delicious.

"We could keep looking, our school library will have a lot more for us to look through even for just this topic on European vampires." Yuushi offered.

"I hadn't planned on staying long," Kaname started. Yuushi nodded. "That's alright. We'll keep up the research and let you know if we find anything close to what you're looking for."

"You needn't go so far."

"It's alright, I want to, simple as that." Yuushi bit into another cookie with relish. "As long as we have a direction to go in, I'm sure we'll find something."

Kaname sent him a soft smile. "Thank you."

"None needed, but you're welcome." He moved to take a sip of his tea and paused, his eyes widening. "Sorry if this seems off topic," he suddenly rushed, "but would you care to involve your school with a transfer program involving ours?

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but it'll give you reasons to be here, as well as any other students part of your student council. There'll be meetings with other vampire schools and whatnot, foreign races included. European too. It'd be a good chance for you to widen your search horizons. What do you think?" He asked amiably.

"Meaning this includes studying abroad?"

"For the foreign races, yes. A representative will attend, usually a senior, along with a chosen freshman and junior, to get more varied opinions."

"And this is to be discussed in a gathering, correct?" Outwardly, it'd seem like a high-class party, while the members involved were only young vampire teens going over academic details on organizing interschool relations.

Yuushi laughed lightly. "Yes, we vampires can never just have 'regular' student meetings, can we? Our overindulgences will be the end of us one day, I'm sure."

Kaname contemplated the possibilities and gave a slight incline of his head. "The chairman and I would have to discuss this formally to decide on a firm decision, but I can almost guarantee for a positive response."

Yuushi smiled. "That'd be excellent."

* * *

"Won't you stay for a while longer?" Cross smiled hesitantly. He wanted to know more about the person Zero left with. Yuuki seemed to mirror his thoughts, her expression pleading.

"I'd love to," Jamie smiled, "but I've got little monsters of my own to attend to, I'm afraid. I would've had them with me if I knew they wouldn't cause trouble for the people here." Namely the Night class students. Julian and Sebastian wouldn't hesitate to cause havoc in a dorm full of vampires.

"I see. It was wonderful meeting you, a pleasure."

"The same," Jamie went to wrap his arms around the chairman lightly and did the same for Yuuki before making his way out.

The two watched him go a bit wistfully and blinked when Jamie ran back in, grabbing the chairman and pulling him down to whisper, "he loves dark chocolate!" before leaving again.

Yuuki sputtered out a laugh. What in the world had that been? "He's really pretty, but really weird."

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knights. No own Invisible Boy.

Man, long wait or what? *bows profusely* And I also apologize for springing so many names in the last chapter too. For the reviewers who've mentioned this was getting stampeded over with non-VK characters, thank you! I needed that. I'm afraid I was getting a bit carried away there. And for those who actually recognized who those boys were, I squeal and clap my hands as I dance at finding fellow Invisible Boy fans :D Those boys are great aren't they? XD


	8. Plans in Motion

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

_**Plans in Motion**_

Alex raised a brow. "Transfer program?" The male vampire across from him nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah man, to the East! We've gone all around Europe, but not the Asian side of things. Their age old class system is interesting, don't you think so?"

Considering Zero had been Asian and an ex-human at that, no, he didn't think so. "Not really. Can you imagine not being able to advance after a certain point? Level Cs will never be more powerful than level Bs and level Bs will never be more powerful than level As." The rest of the world was in agreement the Asians were going to die out at one point or another, as with each generation, their power got further diluted, with only a small portion of them retaining much of the gifts they were first granted with at birth.

The smile on the other vampire's face faltered. "Well, if you say it like that, then I guess, yeah, but it's not like we're Asians. From a purely academic standpoint, I'm saying their system is interesting. Lower level vampires also have a natural instinct to follow the more powerful ones too, right?"

"Yeah, and it's pathetic." Alex, who always had plenty of power at his disposal since he could remember, with a strong mind to match, couldn't even dream of submitting to someone just because instinct told him to. It sounded ridiculous. Even animals were known to go against the 'natural' food chain in certain circumstances.

Not to mention, he couldn't ever imagine someone as driven and independent as Zero submitting to someone without proper reason, and his younger brother had been a level D, supposedly the lowest, those that weren't even considered as vampires, in the Asian hierarchy. Just the thought of Zero in that kind of position sickened him. Someone as talented and intelligent as his brother deserved far more.

And Father has given him just that by bringing him to us.

Alex was afraid to know what Zero's life might have been like before their father had decided to adopt him. He'd read enough to know how some lower level vampires were treated. It may not all be true, but not everything could have been false either.

"Alex, you've never really been so opinionated on this before. Does that mean you don't want to go?"

Alex smiled. "Now whoever said that I didn't? Do you have the forms, Gabe?"

* * *

"A transfer?" Jamie gasped. "Alex, I thought you _liked_ your school!" His eyes grew dramatically teary. He'd been so happy when his son had decided to attend the same school he'd graduated from…

Alex sighed. "Not permanently, Father, just for a month."

"Oh, okay," he smiled. "Where?"

"Ouka Academy. I have the grades, of course, and I also have the recommendations ready, along with the form sheet filled out."

"Ouka Academy? You'll see little Yuushi there, then," Jamie jumped up and wrapped his arms around his oldest son. "Say hi to him for me, will you? And just tell him you're my oldest. He'll be an instant friend."

Alex just nodded, not even bothering to ask how his father knew the president of the student council of one the most well-known vampire schools around. "You won't tell Zero about this, will you?"

"What do you mean, of course I will," Jamie blinked. Alex sent him an irritated glare. "Father, you do know where Ouka Academy is, yes? And you would know where Zero is from since you brought him here, so why would you think it a good idea to tell him?"

"Keeping secrets will not ease the pain he's experienced from there, Alex," Jamie smiled softly. "He will find out anyhow, you know how resourceful he is. Even if we don't tell him, if you up and disappear for a month, he's going to look for answers, and you know how good Zero is at getting his answers."

The taller vampire sighed and shook his head. "I'm just afraid of how he'll react."

* * *

Zero didn't even look up from the book he was reading. "Oh. Good luck."

Alex blinked. Jamie hid a snort behind a pale hand. Barely keeping a straight face, he patted his son's arm. "Get packing, love."

Once Alex was out of earshot, Zero marked his page and closed the book, turning to his adoptive father. "Ouka Academy…isn't that in Japan?"

"It is. As an academy for vampires, it's quite famous, though they also have a human branch. Alex will be attending there for the better part of a month." When Zero stayed silent, he continued, "From what I know of it, they aren't close with Cross academy. Ouka was established by a group of vampires that separated themselves from the council."

"They…were able to do that?" Keep away from the council's influence permanently?

"They had a rather clever pureblood and more than a few efficient nobles guiding their way." Not to mention, Yuushi's parents were known to be rather…eccentric, not even actively having to go against the council to alienate them. Even as purebloods, their blood wasn't as pure as the Kuran or rare as the Shirabuki. They already lived in their own world and were perfectly fine in keeping it that way.

Letting out a soft smile at Zero's pensive expression, Jamie offered, "You're free to go wherever you wish as well, Zero. I don't mean to chain you here while you learn. Germany has an excellent program, as does Italy – especially for Dancing. Spain too. Oh, and France – everything there is top notch." Really, he could go on forever.

"Jamie," Zero interrupted softly, "what did you mean by 'while I learn'?" Wasn't he staying here permanently?

His adoptive father paused for a moment and his smile turned more solemn. Taking a seat next to him, he lightly snapped his fingers. A few seconds later, a single photo came flying into his hand – one that Zero recognized all too easily. He tensed.

"Where did you get that?" He certainly hadn't brought it with him.

"They gave it to me." Jamie answered, his voice gentle. He placed the picture on the desk before them; face up. Three figures crowded the frame, with a young Zero in the middle, a younger Yuuki to his left, and the chairman to his right.

As usual, Zero's expression was impassive, but his eyes were soft, the hardened edge to them having lessened in that moment. Yuuki, her smile bright and warm as always, leaned against him, her head against his shoulder and her arms around him. The chairman, for once, had his glasses off, and the emotions in his eyes were on display for whoever happened to see the picture – warm, kind, and protective, his arm around them, resting on Yuuki's dark head and his cheek against Zero's light hair.

"A beautiful picture, no?" Jamie whispered. "I didn't think they meant for me to show it to you, but I think I should." Zero's hands tightened around the closed book on his lap. "Their love for you is so clear, and so pure. This picture shows it all, and it hasn't changed since then, Zero. They still feel for you just as strongly, if not more so."

"What the hell are you saying?" Zero strained out. Did Jamie not want him here? Was he telling him to go back?

"To think about them sometimes. Just give a thought to them, wish them well, and pray that they are in good health." Seeing Zero's resistance, Jamie laughed softly. "I'm not accusing you of not doing those things, I know you think about them, but I also know it's to further push them away." The older vampire closed his eyes and let himself fall sideways, plopping his head against his son's shoulder. Zero twitched at the contact, but didn't move to stand or shove him off.

"Zero, keeping them away isn't going to make them feel for you any less. Rather, they will only think of you more often." He remembered Kaien's worry, Yuuki's tears, her frustration…

"_'As long as Zero's happy, then I'm happy too.'_" Jamie repeated. "I'm sure you can guess who that is from. '_I trust he knows what he's doing. We'll both be waiting.'_ And I'm sure you can also tell who that is from." He traced his hand down Zero's pale arm, coming to rest it on top of the younger vampire's. Zero had beautiful hands. Warm, sensitive, kind hands that could be impulsive, but always working to protect and defend.

"They love you Zero, and as much as it pains me to say this, love like theirs does not come often, and for many, at a high price." Jamie gave a light squeeze around Zero's hand, slowly loosening its hold from the book. "You may have lost the family you were born with, but I know you don't feel any less for the next one you were blessed to have. You would give your life for them, without question, if it were asked of you. And Zero," he took his son's hand in both of his own, "they would just as willingly do the same for you."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because you needed someone to tell you." Jamie said simply. "You knew it, but having it said aloud makes it so much more concrete. I want you to believe in their love for you, that they will accept you, no matter what you choose, or who you choose to be with."

"Jamie," Zero started, the older vampire was treading on dangerous ground.

"No, love, let me finish," Jamie smiled. "You thought they would disapprove. You thought they would…reject you, see you differently; and it is perfectly understandable. You care for them and their opinion of you, and what you've been keeping from them…is something highly controversial in their social standards." A vampire and a hunter? One a pureblood, the other an ex-human? Both male? Yes, Jamie could see it was bound to cause more than a few disturbances.

"But do the to two of them live by those standards?" Are they against a vampire and a hunter together? Do they see an ex-human as undeserving of a pureblood? Were they against same sex relationships? "And even if they did, would they stop loving you because of it?

"Would they, Zero?"

No…

The older vampire nodded, seeing the answer in his son's eyes. He gave the pale hand he was holding a small squeeze. "And Zero, you can always ask for help. You may have thought you'd been alone in your burden, but you weren't. All you had to do was open your mind a little more, look around a little clearly, and you would've found help and support in those you might've never dreamed of getting.

"But we can't cry over what ifs and muddle over past decisions." Jamie gave a light pat to the back of Zero's pale hand. "Now that you're here with me, and have become one of my own, you might as well have the world at your fingertips. You can't say you don't have any help or that you are alone. I won't be letting you run, Zero, and I'm not here to be a shield for you to hide behind – not from your family, not from those that love you."

Zero bristled. "I'm not—"

"Running? Hiding? No, not yet," Jamie smiled, "and no, I'm not saying I want to ship you back to them either. I love you as well Zero, and I like having those I love close to me. I sympathize with their pain and worry over you, but I don't want to let you go either. You're my son," he chirped, "my precious little vampire in training. I'm keeping you with me as long as I can." _Until he comes for you_.

Zero stayed silent for some time afterward, just staring at the photograph lying on his desk, Jamie's hands still around his own and his head against his shoulder, reminiscent of younger Yuuki in the picture.

He couldn't argue Jamie was wrong. He did think about the chairman and Yuuki, and every time he did, it was so he could further push them to the back of his mind. He wasn't a part of their lives anymore, and he hoped they thought the same. They would've been hurt at first by his leaving them, but if they believed he was gone for good, they wouldn't hurt for long. They'd soon forget about him and move on.

Jamie had just let out everything he already knew, yet couldn't really be sure of. Things he couldn't bring himself to say aloud. He knew they loved him. He knew he loved them back. He knew, but didn't want to acknowledge, that they'd give their lives for him, just as he would for them. When he thought about how Yuuki had been about to throw her humanity away to Hiou Shizuka, just for his sanity, it still made him feel cold.

She was always ready to sacrifice so much of herself, and in the end, called it nothing special. She'd smile with that same acceptance in her eyes, that same kindness, and say everything was fine. She'd made room in her heart for him, offered him her life; and he couldn't bear to take much more from her.

Jamie was right in that he couldn't tell them about Kaname because he felt they wouldn't ever look at him the same, but the older vampire didn't know Yuuki loved Kaname for much longer than he had. That Kaname had loved her in turn much longer than he ever had for Zero.

They had both loved each other, quietly, but intensely, all from afar, and Zero had gone in and wrecked whatever chances they could've had. Nothing between them had even begun, and Zero had ruined any possibilities of it happening. They could've at least had the chance to work things out. Maybe…maybe they could've made it work. If it hadn't been for Zero, they would've had each other.

Kaname could've had his dear girl, and Yuuki her tall handsome vampire prince.

The more he'd thought about it, the more possible it seemed to become. If he was going to leave anyway, he could give Kaname and Yuuki that chance they needed – time together without him in it. They both certainly deserved to be with the person they truly loved. Neither of them should have to give anything up – especially not for Zero.

So as much as he appreciated Jamie's implied help, he wouldn't be making use of it for himself any time soon. His thoughts on his relationship with Kaname were still firm. Kaname didn't need him, shouldn't have ever needed him, and now with the seals on the bond and his memories, he wouldn't.

He'd have the love he should've had.

Not something that'd been built from instinctive hormones, but a love that came from years of friendship, care, and affection. Kaname's…feelings for him weren't real. Zero likened the bond to something of a love potion of the most potent kind. It screwed with one's perception of things. Kaname had _despised_ him before the bond, for whatever reasons Zero could care less about, and now, after nearly a year and a half, he _loved_ him?

Yeah, Zero had thought it a little unbelievable too.

Obviously, the change of heart had been because of the bond. It changed something in Kaname and made him…weird, and in love with Zero. Zero didn't really know how bonds worked on the mind, but it sure knew how to work overtime. Kaname's behavior towards him had changed drastically over that year and a half he'd been bonded.

Well, now he was back to normal, Zero told himself. The effects of the bond are now gone, and so are his memories. His feelings for Yuuki should still be there then. And since I'm not there to stop him, he's, he's free to go to her.

Jamie stirred from the slight doze he'd been under (Zero's shoulder was awfully comfortable) when he felt Zero's hand twitch. Looking down, his eyes narrowed as he saw his son's other hand clenching tightly onto the book in his lap. Frowning in concern, he slowly leaned over and peeled the other hand away from the book and into his own, rubbing gentle circles against the back of it.

Zero didn't have the room to spare any thought to the comfort Jamie was trying to give, his mind on a certain pureblood. He could think, all he wanted, that what he'd done had been for Kaname and Yuuki's benefit too, but when it came down to it, he was only trying to justify his actions, using them as an excuse.

But even then, he couldn't feel genuinely happy for them. His twisted heart wasn't capable of fully embracing the idea of them being together. There was a part of him that recoiled at the very thought of Kaname giving his love to someone else, sharing the things he'd shared with Zero with someone else, even if that someone else was Yuuki.

No, he corrected resignedly, it wasn't just a part of him, everything hurt, he couldn't seem to move.

If Kaname really did end up with Yuuki…

"Oh love, what is wrong?" Jamie asked tenderly, raising a hand to dab at his son's cheek.

Zero never uttered a word, a second tear merely following the first.

Jamie closed his eyes, unable to watch, and pressed his lips against his son's soft, pale cheek. "Let us rest, dear one," he whispered, and sighed as he felt Zero's breathing even out, before bringing him over to his bed, lying down with him.

* * *

Yuushi sighed. It'd been a month and a week since Kaname had come to them, and still, he was unable to find any concrete answers, just empty leads that took them back to square one. It seemed whoever had left that atmospheric residue was a veteran and as he and Kaname had feared, was leading them around to chase at their own tails. Needless to say, it was extremely frustrating.

"Any closer to finding out who did it?" Kyosuke asked, sitting down beside him. Yuushi wordlessly shook his head, eyes still focused on the page before him.

"Yuushi," Akira interrupted. "Sorry to pull you away from what you're doing, but the transfer students are arriving soon, and you need to be there to greet them."

There was a stubborn pause before the president hung his head and stood up from his seat. "There were four this month, right?"

Akira nodded. "And I think you'll be interested to know, one of them is Jamie's son, Alex."

Yuushi's eyes lit up in excitement. Oh finally, something good to counteract the bad! He couldn't wait to see how Alex was like. Not to mention, he could've just gotten the next best person to ask for help on what he and Kaname needed to research on.

If anyone knew anything about European vampires and their magic, it'd be someone of Jamie's descent. Yuushi hoped Alex would be able to find something they might've overlooked. Otherwise, their case really may be lost.

"Please let this be a good sign…" He murmured to himself.

* * *

Ah, Alex thought to himself, now it isn't so hard to see why he'd get along with Father.

The pureblood vampire of Ouka Academy had immediately approached him, his eyes shining, and asked after his father. Alex had merely commented he hadn't changed at all, and was doing quite fine.

"Has he taken on any new clients from here?"

"Not that I know of, no," he only knew his father had at least spent enough time here to get to know Zero.

"So he hasn't been to the East at all, recently?"

Now Alex was wary. "Why do you want to know?"

Seeing the suspicion in Alex's eyes, Yuushi smiled sheepishly. "I apologize for seeming nosy, but I'd…I'd like your help in a small, but maybe big, problem that's been troubling my friend and I for the better part of a month."

"Mm, and since you can't get my father, you're settling with me." Alex concluded. He wasn't offended, just curious. What could be so confusing for a pureblood? The matter must have been pretty important for him to be so concerned over it.

"Ah yes, I hope you don't mind. I know you must be busy with your own life and studies, but—"

"It's alright, this seems more interesting anyhow. What's been keeping you in a knot?"

Yuushi eagerly explained everything on the way, ending up at the student council room and showing Alex various books he thought to use for reference.

The European vampire nodded tensely and took a swift look through the reference material, his brows lowered in concentration. "I think I know what you were trying to do, but I'd like to actually look around the so called dorm this scent was left at. If it was preserved by a European charm, the scent should still be there. Is that alright?"

He'd also like to ask the pureblood a few questions himself. As he'd listened to Yuushi's side of things, he noticed the president hadn't mentioned anything specific regarding the owner of the scent that was left in those rooms. Had it been a possible enemy? An assassin? Of course, an intruder having gotten into their dorm couldn't have been something they enjoyed, but it wasn't really something you'd go to another pureblood of another school to ask around for was it?

Alex guessed the scent itself was what had that other pureblood concerned and wanting to find out how it was preserved. The vampire president of Cross Academy probably knew something about the scent that was left that he hadn't told Yuushi about. Did he know whom the scent belonged to? And if he did, why hadn't he told Yuushi about it? It would certainly add to their investigation.

Yuushi tilted his head. "I'd like to be able to give you a definite yes, but I'll have to contact Kaname-san to get a firm answer." He doubted the other pureblood would respond in a negative, however.

"That's fine. When can I expect a response?"

Yuushi grinned. "It'll just take a few minutes." A dark butterfly flew from his hand and into the air, fluttering off.

Alex watched it return not long after and waited to hear what Yuushi had to say. The president smiled. "You're free to go," he informed. "Just wait a few moments and I can just take you there."

* * *

The academy Yuushi had taken him to wasn't as grand as Ouka, but it had a rather homey atmosphere. Alex didn't think he would've minded studying here as well, if it weren't for all the humans he could smell from one side of the campus. It wasn't that he wouldn't be able to control himself, more the opposite, really.

He'd never really had a liking for human blood, as it felt and tasted much too plain, especially when he'd always had the blood of his father to look forward to the first few decades he'd been adopted. It was like comparing water to wine or a slice of bread to pizza. There really was no question in which was more preferable.

"The Moon dorms should be this way…" Yuushi walked ahead of him, the butterfly helping to lead the way. As they got closer, Alex was able to smell a fair amount of those he assumed were level B vampires, as well as a single pureblood.

He'd already thought the same when meeting Yuushi and the rest of the student council of Ouka academy, but the difference in power that he felt from level B to level A was so astounding it was sad. Well it was no wonder they instinctively became submissive. If not, their lives could possibly be forfeit. It was a built in self-preservation mechanism.

Hardly giving thought to the curious stares he was receiving as they entered, Alex focused his gaze on the vampire descending the stairs. Tall, handsome, and a brunet. Not exactly his type, he inwardly mused, but the pureblood of Cross academy was certainly beautiful.

He gave a slight nod, "A pleasure to meet you, Alex Michaels."

* * *

_An Extra Side Cookie (sometime during the month Zero was with the Michaels):_

Jamie smiled excitedly as he fiddled with the new camera he'd gotten for himself. Trying out different settings, he took snapshots of every available surface that'd entered his immediate vision, checking to see how the picture turned out every time. Looking around for anything new, he caught sight of his youngest son reading a thick tomb, bathing in the sun.

Foregoing the effort to call his name, knowing he wouldn't respond anyhow, Jamie merely smiled softly as took a few shots. Maybe he could send them off to Kaien-san and his daughter. Zero hadn't changed much, besides becoming a bookworm, and gaining a new wardrobe.

He bit his lip, trying to concentrate on zooming in, as he saw Zero let out a sigh, tilting his head back, his graceful throat in plain sight. With the sun shining down on him, he looked perfectly picturesque. He could probably make a small album and hold it for ransom. That pureblood lover of Zero's seemed like a particularly possessive bond mate. Jamie couldn't wait to see just how far someone would go for their mate's pictures. He bet Kuran Kaname would be more than a little curious to see how his bond mate had spent the time he had away from him.

"Mm, my little Zero is so adorable," he sighed, admiring the last few pictures he'd just taken. "And my photography isn't bad either."

* * *

Disclaimer: No own vampire Knight.

Thank you for reading! :D Zero has finally admitted his jealousy XD Don't let anyone else have Kaname! And Kaname, don't let anyone else have Zero either!

Yes, Alex has met our favorite pureblood...I wonder what'll happen...*is a bit unsure herself* But he'll definitely have questions for his father, that's for sure :D


	9. Kaname and Zero

A/N: This chapter may be confusing, so I'll take note to say this now - the timeline will switch back and forth when Alex and Jamie are talking. You'll be able to tell when the dialogue is in italics.

-

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

_**Kaname and Zero**_

Jamie watched on, amused at how Zero seemed more vigorous than ever at learning anything he could get his hands on. After seeing his time with them was limited, he took care to not waste any of it. Jamie had believed his son still had some time, but now he was a bit unsure as to how much. He'd initially estimated for at least a year, if not more, but…

Mm, looks like I've underestimated him a bit much, he thought to himself, referring to the pureblood that was no doubt looking for Zero even now. Perhaps it wouldn't take the vampire long at all in figuring out where Zero was. Jamie pouted. He'd hoped, on some selfish level, that the pureblood wouldn't be so rigorous in his search. He wanted his son with him for a bit longer.

But, Jamie tilted his head, I can see Zero has come to realize something since the talk we had two weeks ago. Jamie wouldn't ever forget those heart-wrenching tears he'd been witness to. He hadn't seen Zero look so despondent, so lost, and so broken. He couldn't begin to imagine what was going through his son's mind, but he doubted he'd ever want to know.

He didn't like the thought of Zero pushing his pain aside for his studies, but he didn't want to bar his son's main purpose in coming here. Hopefully, by the time Kuran Kaname came for him, he'd have gotten his hidden issues and insecurities dealt with.

He'd already made Zero aware his other family loved him to pieces and had him acknowledge telling them about his lover would not mean the end of the world. But even with that awareness, Jamie had a feeling nothing had changed within his son on that account. Something else besides possible persecution from his family was holding him back from telling them about his relationship with the pureblood. Something that also tied in with why Zero had wanted to leave.

Chewing on his lip, Jamie lowered his brows. What else was Zero trying to protect? Who else, besides the pureblood, was he sacrificing himself for? If Zero had been distracted during the sealing, his thoughts on anything else other than wanting the seals to do their job, the whole process could have been interrupted. If Zero had been thinking about anything or anyone else besides his lover…

Zero, you foolish child!

The European vampire was pulled out of his thoughts by the magic of his eldest son, indicating Alex had traveled by seals back to their home. Wondering what could have his son visiting so soon after his transfer, Jamie went to see him in his rooms.

* * *

"Alex, love, what are you doing back here so early?" It'd only been two weeks. About to wrap his arms around him, he paused at the look on his son's face. "Alex?"

"Father…I've tried to figure things out on my own, but I'm still so confused. Please, tell me, why did you bring Zero here?" His gaze told him his son knew there was more to the story than Jamie having taken a liking to him and wanting to teach him.

"I'm sorry Alex, but that is not my story to tell," Jamie said quietly. He started as his son's large hands took a firm hold of his shoulders.

"Then…then at least tell me why you did it," Alex whispered. "Why you would place seals on someone's love for another," he pleaded.

Jamie reached up pull his son down into his arms, quietly shushing him. "I'm sorry, dear one, I never wanted for you to find out at all…"

Alex relaxed into his father's warmth before he spoke, "The president, Yuushi, was working on something alongside the president of Cross academy, Kuran Kaname…"

* * *

"_A pleasure to meet you, Alex Michaels." _

"_It's a pleasure for me as well,"_ the pureblood spoke, his tone quiet and lilting, the effect not unlike that of his own father's, though Jamie's had a warmer, softer quality that worked to comfort rather than to awe.

"_Kuran Kaname."_

Alex nodded, _"Kuran then?"_ He knew they'd rather he added an honorable suffix to that, but he couldn't be bothered, completely ignoring the annoyed stares of two blondes in particular. He could care less if they thought him an ignorant foreigner.

A slight smile pulled at the pureblood's lips_. "Yes, that'll do."_

"_Yuushi told me there were a few rooms in total?"_ He asked, referring to the other pureblood, who'd already left, not able to stay due to having to look after his own school.

Kaname led him up the stairs and down further into the dorm. _"Yes, the private rooms we have situated at various parts of our dorm. This is the first."_ He opened the door to let Alex in first.

Looking around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The room was finely furnished, its style elegant in a simple clean way. Well, if two purebloods were having trouble, the evidence couldn't be so obvious. Approaching one of the chairs, he brushed a hand over it, letting his own magic linger. Walking around the room, he spread his magic about in a similar fashion, light touches to the table, the wall, the curtains, etc.

He suddenly stopped dead by a particular window, leaning in closer, hoping he'd been wrong, but finding that no, his nose hadn't been playing tricks on him. He nearly whirled around to demand what in seven hells Zero's scent was doing in this room, before he forced himself to calm. Zero was from this country. Cross academy was also a school for vampires. Was it so surprising to find his scent here? No, it wasn't, but that wasn't what had him on edge.

Zero had now been staying with them for a little more than a month. No matter how often he'd been in this room before he came to them, his scent shouldn't have lasted this long. Which also meant, whatever seal or charm used to preserve the scent bothering Kuran was Zero's.

Before letting the questions consume him into distraction, Alex focused his magic on figuring out whether the method used was a seal or a charm and if it'd been by European means. Coming to stand in the center of the room, he closed his eyes, imagining the room in black and white, with the magic he left around it glowing a clear blue. Concentrating further, he noticed the glowing patches of his magic were more intense toward the center of the room, nearly at the exact spot he was standing in.

So this was where the seal was originating from, he lowered his brows, kneeling. Placing his hand atop the soft carpet, he murmured a revealing charm, and nodded when not a second later, a sealing circle appeared in a faint glow.

The revealing charm he'd used wasn't all that strong, and in addition, the design of the seal indicated it wasn't all that complex. Not the simplest, but not the hardest either. He narrowed his eyes. If this was as logical as it seemed, he didn't like what it was pointing to.

"_May I see the other rooms as well?_" He asked casually, dispelling his revealing charm, the sealing circle disappearing along with it.

The pureblood by the door gave a slight nod and led him to the next. Alex repeated his procedure and came up with the same results. The seal used in this room had been the same as the first. Giving a nod, he motioned for Kuran to take him to the next.

What he found in the third room was a bit different from the other two. The seal used in the room was stronger, and as a result, the scent preserved by it smelled fresher, as though Zero had been in here recently. _"Yuushi mentioned atmospheric residue being left in one of the rooms. I'm assuming this one was it. It's gone now, too much time passed since the seal was activated, but whoever did this wasn't an amateur."_ Of course he wasn't, Alex thought to himself wryly. He'd kick the ass of anyone who called his father an amateur.

Kaname gave a light nod. _"He and I have come to the same conclusion."_

Alex paused, wondering whether or not he should ask, before throwing all caution to the wind. He was the one with all the cards here, anyway. _"I can see why having your home invaded can be a bit uncomfortable, but why are you so hung up on finding whoever this is? Though I'm guessing the scent left in these rooms isn't all that unfamiliar to you. An enemy wouldn't go around leaving traces of themselves for people to find. _

_Whoever you're looking for is someone you know that isn't exactly standing on the other side of the fence. Is s/he a student here?"_

"_Yuushi and I only wanted for you to identify and tell us what method was used."_ Kaname softly responded. He wasn't appreciating the probing questions. Michaels didn't need to know such things in order to accomplish what they were asking for.

Not exactly surprised at Kaname's answer, Alex shrugged. _"This was all the rooms, right? Just give me a pen and paper, and I can write everything down for you."_ He'd try to figure things out on his own before going to his father.

Zero left here, for reasons still unknown, but his father had deliberately left traces of Zero behind for the pureblood to pick up. The scent was faint enough a level B wouldn't have been able to easily pick up on it in comparison to the sharper senses of a pureblood. His father wanted Kuran Kaname to find Zero. All of this was aimed towards the pureblood.

And like a rush of air, the memory of his first meeting with Zero came back to him, how his father had warned him off of his new brother, the words he used… Zero, Alex had concluded back then, had left because of (maybe, probably, he hadn't a definite answer then) a relationship gone wrong. Which would mean…the lover that Zero most likely hadn't wanted to, but had been forced to separate from, was…was _here_, at the academy.

And, Alex spared another glance at the pureblood, the possibility of that so-called lover being the vampire standing not a few feet from him was extremely high. A lot of things would fit too well into place if that were true. Zero had loved (no, still loved) this vampire, but due to social class and peer pressure, had decided to leave him in favor of starting a new life elsewhere, thinking it might be for the pureblood's benefit that he make himself scarce.

What an idiot.

No really, he had to insist the issue. His brother was a _moron_. Alex couldn't keep himself from shaking his head in disbelief. Not caring how unhinged he might seem, he let out an incredulous laugh. It was official. Kiryuu Zero was a drama queen – the worst kind too. He couldn't even consider it endearing; it was so stupid.

He hoped his brother would get what was coming to him, because when and if Kuran Kaname found him, he could bet his entire inheritance, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity in getting to know Zero's chosen partner, he casually asked, _"Is it alright if I stay for a few more days? I'd like to look around a bit more. That is, if you don't mind?"_

"_You are free to stay for however long it takes you."_ Kaname offered. He didn't know what to make of the grin the other vampire sent him.

"_Thanks."

* * *

_

"I see…" Jamie murmured. "So you managed to figure it out on your own." He'd moved to sit on his son's bed, relaxing against the headboard as his son told him of his experience at Cross academy.

Alex sighed at the familiar feel of his father's hand in his hair and shifted his head a bit to gain more of his comforting fingers. Jamie smiled down at him amusedly and complied with his silent demand, gently combing through his dark locks.

"Yeah, wasn't that hard when you're already entering the problem with a few 'given' facts." Alex smiled wryly.

"And those few days?" Jamie asked softly, "How did you spend them?"

Alex snorted. "It was great."

* * *

Completely used to staying awake during the day (Europeans weren't so adverse to the light as Asians were) Alex found himself going around the dorm on a self-appointed tour. He was glad for it, and he'd managed to catch a glimpse of a part of Kuran Kaname he doubted any of the other soundly sleeping vampires got to witness.

About to pass by one of the rooms he'd checked last night, he stopped as he sensed the pureblood in it, noticing the door was open. He'd supposed the other vampire assumed everyone else would be asleep. Alex mentally gave himself a pat to back for obscuring his aura and his scent before leaving the room he'd been assigned. He hadn't wanted to wake the others while on his tour by alerting them to his presence.

Looking in, he had to keep in a slight laugh. The pureblood was fast asleep on one of the chairs. The brunet's expression was serene enough, considering it couldn't have been too comfortable sleeping in a chair. Alex almost wondered whether all purebloods were this unguarded when the familiar scent of sweet spice filled his senses, and he'd immediately known why Kaname seemed so comfortable.

This room was one Zero's scent was preserved most strongly in. As his lover, it was only natural for Kaname to feel so relaxed by it. With Zero having pulled the runaway card, the next best thing would have to be this room. It was wistful, in a sweet, innocent way, how Kaname looked for comfort in a room filled with his lover's presence.

Alex could only imagine what kind of things they'd done, how they'd spent their time here, in this room. He could easily see them together, side-by-side, on one of the couches, talking of nothing and anything in particular. Zero would have that soft smile on his lips, his eyes kind, and Kaname, he didn't know enough of to make a guess for, but assumed would look just as besotted, his expression adoring.

Thinking about it, it only emphasized his thought of Zero being an idiot for leaving with his father. He'd first pitied his lover, but now, as he was more aware of the situation, he pitied Zero just as much, for letting something so obviously precious go.

Holding in a sigh, he moved to leave when the pureblood called to him, now awake. _"Michaels."_

"_Kuran."_ Again, the pureblood's lips lifted in a slight smile. _"He used to call me that as well,"_ he murmured softly. Alex immediately knew the other vampire was talking about Zero.

"_Kuran? Not your given name?"_ He inquired. What kind of a lover continued to call their partner by their last name? The pureblood actually paused after his question. _"By name? No, we were not that close, I'm afraid."_

Alex raised his brows. Not close? He briefly wondered whether the pureblood was trying to be deliberately obtuse, but his answer had seemed genuine enough. Kaname was on the assumption Alex wasn't aware of who he was talking about. There was no need for him to lie about anything.

Then why would he say that he and Zero weren't close? Zero had obviously loved him. Hadn't Kaname felt the same? His father wouldn't have wanted for him to chase Zero unless he did. Jamie wasn't one to play on uncertainties. Not on things that involved dealing with people's feelings for one another. He knew they loved each other and was counting on Kaname to reach Zero, wasn't he?

"_He was a friend at least, no?"_ Alex continued. He watched as Kaname's smile turned sardonic. _"A friend? Maybe in our next life."_

The European vampire blinked. Not even a friend? What the hell was going on?

"_Do you stay in this room often? You looked pretty comfortable."_ He swiftly changed the topic of conversation. If Kaname noticed, he didn't show it, merely following along. _"No, not until recently."_

Alex inwardly shook his head. Kaname's answers were only giving him more questions_. "Well, if you're going to rest, you should do it in your own room." _He'd gone back to his own after that.

* * *

"It wasn't until a while later I figured there was something wrong with his memories of Zero."

Jamie nodded wordlessly.

"Father," Alex looked up from his position on the older vampire's lap, "how do you expect him to find him if he doesn't even know _why _he should?"

Jamie smiled softly. "Would you be angry with me, love, if I said that is the other task I set out for him?"

"Task?" Alex asked incredulously. "Father, this is not some sort of competition in who reaches Zero first."

"Oh, you doubt in his abilities?"

"I don't know enough to make an accurate enough conclusion." Alex huffed irritably.

"Well, I know he will be able to do it. Especially, as I've come to suspect, if Zero left the seals unfinished."

"Unfinished?"

"Yes. I don't know what the child was thinking when he activated them, but I fear he might not have been able to fulfill the requirements. He was distracted."

"By what?"

"Possibly another issue involving his lover, but one that isn't completely relevant to the reason why he was sealing the bond. He must think of his mate and mate only, when performing the seals, but perhaps he wasn't. I doubt he lacked of anything else."

"But if the seals are incomplete…" Alex trailed off with a frown, "What does that mean for the pureblood?"

"An easier path to reaching his sealed memories. All he needs is a proper trigger. It's like a password or a key. Once he establishes that connection, Zero, I'm afraid, is not going to be staying here any longer."

Alex snorted. "He's going to be buried in crap up to his chin." Purebloods, he heard, were not only notorious for their power, but also their temper. Once the volcano erupted…

Jamie smiled. "Most likely." The pureblood would look at Zero's actions as a betrayal. Zero wouldn't be without firm punishment from his bond mate for choosing to run.

"Father, why go through so much? Why not take an easier, faster route in making Zero understand?" Like, just _telling_ him things?

"Because love is never easy. It doesn't have shortcuts, or 'easy' ways of gaining it. It's always going to be twisted, with bumps of all sizes, and hardly has an end."

"Even still," Alex said dryly, "couldn't you have made it _less_ twisted or bumpy?"

"Neither of them would have appreciated it," Jamie shook his head. "Zero naturally makes things more difficult for himself, and his mate, I don't think, is any different. They don't have a straightforward relationship, love, and they need to make their own mistakes to learn things properly."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "That, I can see, but," he narrowed his eyes, "I thought Zero knew about the workings of a bond."

Jamie laughed. "Oh if he did, he wouldn't have doubted his mate's love for him to such an extent."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"He wouldn't have believed me," Jamie answered simply. Someone like Zero was bound to see it as nothing more than pity or empty comfort. "Love has never lost a battle against logic and Zero's case isn't an exception. He would not be able to accept such a concept unless it were his own mate that tells him in person," which the pureblood had never a chance to do, since Zero had never asked.

Alex groaned. "This is all so damn convoluted, it's a garden maze. I'm glad I'm not in it as I'm already getting lost just trying to keep up with the directions."

Jamie laughed softly and kissed his forehead. "But you made it through, didn't you? You figured things out and was able to act calmly and decisively until you came to me."

"It's Sebastian and Julian, father," Alex responded wryly, "the things they've done have made me numb to most 'surprises'. Nothing seems too outrageous anymore."

"My…I must apologize for that, Alex, as I'm sure they got that from me," Jamie smiled, "but if it worked to strengthen your nerve, I'm glad it did some good." He turned his son's head up to meet his eyes, "Now, why don't you tell me just how much information on my seals you decided to impart to them?"

"…Well…"

* * *

Kaname hadn't really known what to make of the male European vampire that'd arrived and left just as abruptly. True to his word, he only 'looked around' and refrained from interacting too much with the rest of the Night class nobles. Kaname had a feeling he didn't need to, in order to figure out the general dynamics of the way things worked for the vampires of Cross academy. And when those few days were up, he left quietly, Yuushi coming to pick him up once again.

And, much to Yuushi's delight and his relief, Alex had indeed lived up to his father's name, jotting down careful precise notes on how the seals worked, also adding in other related information and resources they could further look into. Yuushi had curiously asked if any were of Jamie's design, to which Alex had vaguely replied the number of seals his father had made were many, and not even he could keep track of all of them.

Either way, Alex's notes had given he and Yuushi a direction to go in. Whoever had used the seals may not have been an amateur, but there weren't many of those that were advanced in the field of wielding seals in comparison, which ironically worked to narrow down possible 'suspects'.

Alex had already taken care to inform them he didn't know much of his father's 'seal crafting business' contacts, and in terms of looking for leads on any vampires in that area, he was just as lost as them. But, he'd raised a finger_, but_, he'd emphasized, since Yuushi seemed so familiar with his father, Jamie _might_ relinquish some information if they begged on their knees in desperation.

Apparently, those in the sealing business made up a rather small community, and were very tight-lipped.

Yuushi had been more than willing to do anything, but Kaname stopped him with the concerned excuse of the other pureblood not having to throw his pride away for someone else's (Kaname's) personal matters. The president of Ouka had frowned, before quietly telling him Jamie was a kind vampire, and that if they were to explain the situation, he might be willing to help them. If Yuushi had to beg on his knees for that help, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

Kaname had let out a sigh at his stubbornness, but Alex had laughed amusedly and commented that unrelenting quality was what his father probably liked most about Yuushi.

"_When I said 'beg on your knees in desperation', I wasn't pulling anything, I do mean it. Father has a weird streak."_

Preferring to see people beg? He probably did, Kaname had thought wryly. With humans, he'd come to understand those with extraordinary talent often had unusual quirks, but he'd come to find Jamie Michaels might have something in common with that particular trait, even as a vampire.

And speaking of Michaels… Alex had also acted peculiar during his stay, especially on the second day, when Kaname had caught him standing outside the room he was sleeping in.

Some of the questions, no, he amended, nearly all of the questions that he'd asked worked to unsettle him, as though Michaels knew something he didn't. But if he'd been here to help he and Yuushi, then there wasn't a reason for him to hold any information back, there shouldn't be.

Over the past month, now nearly two, that Zero had been gone, Kaname had come to realize not all was right with his own body, and the questions Michaels asked seemed to pertain directly to the gradual changes he'd been feeling. Especially those that'd been asked right before the vampire had left.

"_Kuran? Not by your given name?"_

He'd wanted to say no, he could've sworn he'd heard his name, his given name, come from Zero's lips more than once, could almost hear the younger vampire's voice at his ear, 'Kaname.'

He could even imagine it being said in numerous different ways, Zero's voice low and husky, breathless, soft, warm, affectionate, sweet, wistful, uncertain… So many different ways… But as realistic as his mind made them sound, and as much as his heart irrationally longed to hear it said in all of those ways, he couldn't recall a single moment where Zero had actually said it.

It'd felt as though he was grabbing at air, as though he knew something, and it was right at the edge of his mind, but inaccessible in some way.

"_He was a friend at least, no?"_

It had been a simple, curious question, like all the others, and yet, that one had hurt the most. His heart had actually given a painful lurch as he parted his mouth to answer, no, Zero wasn't, and probably never will be, inwardly feeling a sense of despair come over him at the thought of he and Zero's bitter enmity not changing. Perhaps if both of their circumstances had been different… But it was no use thinking of ifs. This was what he had to live with, as did Zero.

"_Do you stay in this room often?"_

He'd wanted to scoff.

He'd been in that room nearly every day since Zero's departure for hours at a time. At first he'd used the excuse of wanting to find out more on the construct of whatever was preserving Zero's scent, but as the prefect's absence continued, and he still found himself back there, taking even more time than before, having to _force_ himself to leave every time, he couldn't exactly say it was all due to professional reasons.

No matter how many times he opened the door, he would always be assaulted with the painfully familiar scent of the younger vampire, the smell never fading in the least, due to the seal. Whatever heaviness that'd accumulated inside him during the night seemed to lift and Kaname always felt lighter, warmer and relaxed when walking in.

And when he sat in one of the chairs, it felt as though he was being completely surrounded by Zero… He ignored a part of him that wished for _more_, something more tangible than the prefect's mere scent, and let himself drift, his mind wandering.

Admittedly, letting his mind wander also equaled to sleep, as he felt so at ease he couldn't keep his eyes from slipping closed. He truly felt as though he were almost someone else when in that room, someone that had something he was severely lacking; someone he'd always desperately wanted to be.

"Zero…" The younger vampire had never felt so close and so far…

* * *

Zero looked up when a knock came at the door. As this was Jamie's room, he supposed whoever it was wanted to see the older vampire. Silently getting up from the chair, he opened the door, "If you're looking for Jamie, he's not here." He couldn't keep in the slight irritation at having his concentration interrupted.

There was an amused snort. "You're the new stray Jamie's picked up? Cute as a kitten with a bit of a temper's what I heard, but I didn't think you'd fit the image so perfectly."

Looking up, about to give a retort to the kitten comment, Zero froze as he nearly felt his heart skip a beat. Kaname…?

"Well, if James' not here, just gotta sniff him out then, I 'spose," there was a light shrug and the vampire turned to go.

"Wait, who are you?" He'd realized it wasn't Kaname, but…

"Mm? Oh, sorry kid, not too good on the social etiquette thing," there was a warm smile, and Zero felt his chest tighten, "Synclair Laurie. It was good to see Jamie's new stray. Good luck on that book, kid." He turned fully and continued down the hall with a lazy confidence.

Zero could only watch silently, half in shock, as the other vampire left, turning the corner. Synclair Laurie… Whatever his name was, the young vampire would never mistake what those eyes, and head of dark hair reminded him of. Wine red, dark and mysterious, partly obscured by rich chocolate brown locks, emphasizing the pale skin…

The shape of his brows, his nose, his lips… There were minor differences, but all in all, that vampire could pass off as a more convincing relative than Shiki Senri ever could. Maybe if Kaname were to look another decade or so older…

Zero slowly shook his head, his mind helpless as it was suddenly assaulted with all that it remembered of the pureblood he'd left behind. Dark eyes, nearly identical to those that'd just appeared before him, soft silky hair, smooth supple skin, and tender pink lips that always loved to tease him…

The newly adopted European vampire harshly bit into his lip, shutting his eyes. This couldn't be happening. Something so cruel…

It wasn't fair, he wanted to scream, he'd left to get away from the one thing he wanted to forget, and here comes a damn look alike waltzing in as if it's nothing. He had to refrain from the sudden urge to go after that vampire and knock him in the face once or twice. Just when he'd thought he'd been progressing…

He'd decided, two weeks ago, that if he really wanted Kaname to be happy, he'd have to try to let his feelings for him go. He'd never be able to watch Kaname with someone else if he didn't. He'd always treasure the emotions and memories the pureblood gifted him with, but he needed to treat Kaname as the past he'd never go back to.

An ex-lover…that was what he was at this point, and it wouldn't do for him to keep dragging his feelings even after he'd chosen to end things. He wanted to be able to think of Kaname with a distant fondness, remember their moments with a light heart, and be able to wish him well without the wistful bittersweet pain lingering in the corner of his mind.

Of course, he was more than aware, a few weeks weren't enough to let his feelings go, but did he have to have a damn reminder of him everywhere he went? Even in _another freaking country_, he spotted small things that would lead to another memory that he'd had with the pureblood, and his feelings would come along for the ride, never to be pushed aside. He could almost call it persistent, pushing to be acknowledged in some way. It was as though someone was working to shove his guilt and sins in his face every day he spent away from him.

So what if he'd left him and couldn't even face the fact that he might end up with someone else? He'd learn to, damn it. But did things have to be this hard?

And he'd thought loving Kaname had been hard enough…

Zero slumped against the wall behind him, cradling his head between his knees. Seeing wine red eyes, dark brown locks, and the finely structured face… He felt all of his repressed emotions resurfacing like a huge tidal wave, pulling him under. It was as though a dam had broken since two weeks ago.

"Kaname…" He hated how lost his voice sounded, filled with the painful longing he still couldn't quite rid from himself. His heart still ached, and though he'd thought it'd maybe lessened in the past two months since he left, it was only because he'd been mildly distracted by his new adoptive family and their daily routines.

Seeing…seeing someone that even looked remotely like the pureblood had his heart beating overtime as if he really were there in front of him. Having wine red eyes focus on him nearly made him flush, and seeing a warm smile in his direction nearly made him forget to breathe.

He still wanted him, he still wanted to see him, he still wanted his love… He still desperately wanted Kaname. That vampire had acted nothing like the pureblood. He didn't talk like him, smell like him, feel like him, or move like him, but even still, just because of his slight similarity with the pureblood's basic facial features, Zero was in a wreck.

He missed him, and so much…

* * *

"Syn!" Jamie cried, utterly delighted. He raised the hand that wasn't in his son's hair and laughed as the other vampire brought it to his lips, placing reverent kisses against the knuckles. "Syn, I want more than that as a greeting from you," Jamie pulled his hand away and grabbed onto the other's shirt collar, pulling him down to bring his lips to his cheek in a sweet, chaste kiss.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but _please_, keep things G-rated," Alex groused, not even looking up from his place on his father's lap. He'd been enjoying his head petting when that vampire interrupted.

Jamie smiled amusedly and patted his head. "It's just a kiss on his cheek, Alex, you've nothing to worry over." He looked back up at Synclair. "Have you met him?"

"Yeah, cute kid. Acted a little weird though," the brunet took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You didn't do anything to him did you?" Jamie asked sharply. Synclair chuckled. "Just gave him my name. I came straight here after that."

Jamie nodded. "Well, what did you think? Can he do it?"

"Got nothin' to worry on that account, James," Synclair grinned, "I'll make him the best damn Singer you've seen yet."

"Second best," Jamie corrected, leaning closer, "I don't think anyone can surpass you in your field, Syn," he pressed his lips against the other vampire's cheek once again.

* * *

_Extra Side Cookie Continued:_

"Yuuki! Look what someone sent us!"

"Chairman?" She blinked when a book (that was a book right?) was shoved in her face. Flipping it open, her eyes widened when she saw what it actually was, an album. Ah, the Zero Album, she corrected amusedly, seeing the cover.

Fascinated, she flipped through every page with her adoptive father, looking over each photograph. One with Zero reading, out in the sun, one with him inside, on a chair, one of his knees held up, one with him sleeping… They were all taken beautifully.

"Yuuki, look at this one," the chairman said excitedly, laughing. Yuuki couldn't keep in an amazed gasp. She'd never seen a pair of kids so daring… And, she thought a little softly, they were twins. They looked a lot like Jamie-san, dark haired, pale, and beautiful.

One was all over Zero's back; his arms around his neck, and the other holding onto a leash, leading Zero along like a pet. What was most interesting was the pair of ears on her brother's head, matching the color of his hair.

Right by the picture, it read, in flowing script, 'Bet Gone _Terribly_ Wrong – Please do not show this to Zero, my life will be forfeit if he knew I took it'.

Yuuki laughed softly, a part of herself so much more relaxed and relieved at seeing Zero was having such a good time, and that Jamie had hinted Zero would be seeing them again. He wouldn't have written that note if there wasn't a chance of it happening, right?

* * *

Disclaimer: No own Vampire Knight.

Thanks for reading! :D And no, Synclair isn't anyone that important. He'll just be teaching Zero what he needs to know, and of course, making our poor hunter suffer with his devastating looks XD I'm hoping to move Zero's butt along too, not just Kaname's.

Oh, and if anyone's interested in what the twins (namely Julian, but they're identical, so what the heck, yeah?) look like: http : // raisin-mucchin. deviantart. com / art / Julian-117728977 get rid of the spaces, and you'll hopefully reach the picture, eh?


	10. To See You

A/N: Um...Wow, long time no see, eh? *laughs nervously* With a small break from school work came this pile of **** :D I'm determined to see this through, no matter how much my procastination wants to force its way in, so for those who still wanted to continue reading this story, you have my immense thanks! *bows profusely* Really, I should just get this over with and give you guys a clean ending...

Warnings? This chapter will probably feel extremely rushed... I, like, mushed everything together and should have cooked it for awhile longer, but I couldn't bare to keep looking at it, so... :D Enjoy, however little there is to enjoy...

And not to forget, I don't own Vampire Knight.

* * *

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

**To See You...  
**

Synclair's dark eyes watched over Zero's magic like a hawk on its next prey. With the amount of precision needed in the exercises, it was only standard procedure, but that didn't stop Zero from feeling extremely discomforted. Eyes that reminded him so much of Kaname focusing on him so intently sent him off kilter, even with the knowledge that the older vampire was nothing like the pureblood he'd left behind.

Wine red eyes narrowed. "Zero, watch your control," he softly commanded. He'd no idea why, but his temporary student's magic was agitated. If Zero didn't work to resolve the reason behind it, he would only be making things harder on himself. They'd been working on this exercise for three days now, and Synclair couldn't say the amount of progress they'd made with it had been all that awe inspiring.

James would, of course, ask him to take time with his youngest, to be patient during whatever difficulties that may pop up during training, but that only implied to when and if the kid wasn't able to grasp certain concepts or theories regarding Singing. And this, well, Synclair was fairly sure whatever was hampering Zero's progress hadn't anything to do with lack of understanding of the material he was learning.

And the longer he stayed stubborn on the matter, the more reason he gave Synclair to start picking at his problems.

Oh, he wouldn't be a bully, he reassured his conscience (that usually manifested in the form of James) he'd just do a bit of poking, nothing 'mean' and 'terrible'. James would not hesitate to retaliate should he deliberately do something to make Zero uncomfortable.

Giving a sudden rough sigh as if exasperated, he stepped up behind his current student and placed his hands on their shoulders, vaguely taking note of how fragile they seemed. But more than that, he was interested in the way the boy turned so rigidly tense.

"Relax," he murmured, keeping his hands in place, his hold gentle. "Keep your magic circulating." He smiled, "Good job, don't go too fast, don't go too slow, find your own pace. Now…" He paused for a moment, letting a strand of his own magic loose, "Can you feel this? James told me you're pretty sensitive." He slowly let his magic mingle with that of his student's, weaving its way through with a smoothness that could have only come from years of practice.

Zero suddenly jerked however, and Synclair's hands were lodged from their place as both vampires jumped apart. Zero was breathing heavily while Synclair looked at him in concern. "What—"

"What the hell was that?" Zero demanded, eyes wide. "What were you trying to do?"

"Test how far you got," Synclair said simply; a bit too simply for Zero's taste. He glared. Synclair sighed. "Well, maybe with some ulterior motives, but," he added, "nothing that would hurt you."

"What were you trying to do?" Zero repeated. He didn't know whether he should feel angrier he'd been right or calmer at Synclair being so damn frank about it.

"Test out your reactions," the older vampire answered guilelessly. "Not to offend, but you haven't been making it very far with this, and it's because your magic is always tense around me. I wanted to see if I was right. You prob'ly wouldn't tell me anything even if I asked," he shrugged.

Zero closed his eyes, trying to keep his anger at bay. Synclair had just admitted to trying to pry into his private thoughts. And not just on anything, he'd tried to go snooping for his feelings on Kaname.

And can you blame him for getting curious? What he said is true; you haven't made any progress in three days.

Zero grimaced. So his magic was turning into a mule, what did that have anything to do with Kaname?

"_Your magic is tense around me."_

Tense…

Synclair suddenly dropped himself onto a nearby chair, his expression solemn. "You get it? Unless you get this thing figured out, we won't be going anywhere, and I'll have to report the bad news to James."

Zero's head snapped up. "Jamie?"

"He thought you could use this particular skill in the future and called me here." The older vampire nodded. "You only studied magic for a short while, but he's pretty confident you're good enough to make this ability your own. 'Don't worry, he absorbs everything like a sponge!' He says," Synclair shrugged. "Now, I don't know how much of that's true, but at this point, I can only say you haven't been givin' this subject serious thought." He narrowed his eyes,

"Why are you so uneasy around me?"

The sudden change in topic caught Zero off guard, and the question had him fighting to keep his heart steady. He probably did that on purpose, Zero groused. "I don't know," he answered aloud, cringing as he saw Synclair's expression.

"Don't know…? Really?" The older vampire crossed his legs while still sitting on the chair, one of his hands coming to rest on his ankles. "Don't think I've done anything to make you feel that way," he added.

"Until now," Zero muttered.

Synclair laughed lightly. "Mm, until now, but I want an honest answer." He smiled sympathetically. "Well, you don't have to tell me, but I wouldn't know how to work this strange tension out between us if I don't know what the problem is."

Zero pursed his lips. "You…just look like someone I know."

Synclair blinked. "Oh." He let out a relieved laugh. "And here, I almost thought you were gonna tell me you hated my guts or somethin'." He shook his head. "So I look like someone you don't really like, huh?" He took on a mock contemplative expression before holding up a finger and closing his eyes.

"How 'bout this?"

Zero gaped. Synclair's face seemed to melt away revealing, "…Jamie…?"

Synclair snorted. "Just the face, kid, just the face." His voice was still the same. And as Zero's eyes traveled up and down, so was his physical build.

"You… It looks creepy, can you change your face into something else?" Jamie was built like a delicate doll from the tips of his fingers to his toes. He was more or less rather petite for a male, and seeing his face on someone with Synclair's height was just…really weird.

"Ah, so demanding," the older vampire sighed, "I thought you'd be more comfortable with seeing you father's face. Well, how bout this?" He now looked like Alex.

"No." Zero deadpanned.

"This?" This time it was Allie.

Zero nearly choked, actually taking a step back. "Stop fucking around!"

"Well, what in the world do you want then?"

Still trying to recover from the image of his adopted sister with that…that voice, Zero coughed uneasily. "Just…just change the color of your eyes and hair."

"Just that?" Synclair blinked a few times, his original wine red eyes now a bright blue and his dark locks turning honey blond. "This good for you, your highness?"

Zero didn't bother to give a reply, merely turning away and continuing with the exercises.

Inwardly however, he fought a hard battle with his laughter. He had a feeling he'd just been witness to what Kaname and Aidou combined would have looked like.

I'll have to ask him how he did all of that later.

* * *

"Takuma…?"

"Senri. Good evening."

Pale opalescent eyes shifted to gaze at the double doors that led to their pureblood's rooms before looking back up into emerald green in silent askance.

Takuma nodded. "He…hasn't been himself this past week." Which was true; so much so, the rest of the nobles had noticed.

Kaname had always looked and acted flawlessly, his image solid and reliable. The rest of them undoubtedly took strength and comfort from that, knowing their leader cared for and protected them. He was someone they strived to be closer to, someone they would do anything to please, someone they craved approval and attention from.

In some ways, Takuma thought bemusedly, they were all like children scrambling for a father's affections.

But lately, that figurative father had been feeling more distant than ever before. It was as though Kaname were…distracted, and extremely so, if it was starting to show outwardly. And with how long Takuma had known the pureblood, it was also easy for him to see his childhood friend was tense more often than not.

The only one who could completely hold his attention was Yuuki; and she seemed content with deliberately avoiding him. Takuma suspected something had happened between them, resulting in Kaname's current behavior. If the pureblood really cared for her as much he assumed, then it was reasonable.

But it wasn't as though her avoidance started last week, and Kaname seemed fine before then.

Well, yes, but maybe something even more damaging happened recently, Takuma frowned.

"Takuma, we should go," Senri said softly, when he saw the other noble mentally working himself up into a state. The blond sent him a small smile and nodded, following after him down the hall and the stairs to wait until Kaname decided to deign them with their presence.

A few moments later, Ruka hesitantly approached the pureblood's rooms, one of her hands curled lightly against her chest. She, as well as all the others, was concerned about Kaname's recent behavior, but just the night before, she'd actually seen him in pain, and wanted to offer some help.

"Kaname-sama?" She called gently. "May I?" When she failed to receive an answer, she repeated, "Kaname-sama?" This time, more of her worry filled her voice.

"…Ruka."

Taking that as an affirmative, she slowly opened the door, stepping in. "Kaname-sama, are you…?" She trailed off uncertainly, not really knowing how to phrase her concern. She'd never seen him so pained as she had last night, and without knowing what was wrong, she risked offending him, or maybe even worsening the situation, which was the farthest from her intentions.

But when she found him nearly hunched over the windowsill, none of that seemed to matter. "Kaname-sama!"

The moment her hand nearly came in contact with his shoulder, he swiftly grabbed her wrist. "Don't."

"But Kaname-sama, please, let me help you," she pleaded, not paying any mind to how strong his grip was. "My, my blood, if that'll offer any sufficient relief from whatever this is—"

"Ruka." She immediately fell silent at his frigid tone. "I wished to ask only one thing from you, and it does not, in any way, involve you giving me your blood."

"Then why must you do this?" She whispered, her voice wet. "Why must you suffer this way? If the others were to find out—" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "I don't why you feel the need to sacrifice so much of yourself when any one of us would never hesitate to help within the best of our abilities," she forced out, bowing her head. She dared not say anything more, and fled the room once he released her arm, noticing only after she'd been gathering her textbooks, that she'd completely forgotten to ask what Kaname had actually wanted her for.

* * *

Barely managing to 'shut' the door after Ruka's departure, Kaname's hand slipped from the sill and his knee gave out, forcing a surprised silent gasp out of him as he fell to land on the soft carpet beneath. What had been mere migraines now felt like a two-ton weight had been added to its force, the drum like echoing pains also increasing in rhythm.

There'd been no changes for a week and now this? What could have caused it? He'd been fine until—

His eyes widened. Until Ruka had spoken something to him. What was it? How did her words connect with his headaches?

"_Then why…doing this? Why…suffer this way? Don't…you need to…help…"_

What was it? What was he missing?!

And what the hell had been up with his reaction to Ruka's considerate offer of blood? His sudden aversion to the very idea wasn't natural. He'd had her blood once before and hadn't felt the utter repulsion he now did. It was obvious he needed something more than what the tablets could provide him and Ruka had only tried to help…

But it wasn't as though he felt nauseated at the thought of consuming blood in general. It was the offer itself, the offer to _take blood from her_ that'd been the problem. He still hungered desperately for it, but definitely not for Ruka's.

He needed something more. Warmer, hotter, sweeter, thicker—

"_Kaname…take mine…" A pale neck, long and elegant, glowing skin…smooth, strong jaw line…slender fingers…_

The pureblood actually let out a hiss of distress, his fingers digging into the carpet. His body drooped even further towards the floor, as though being weighed down by the sudden flash of images. The pain only continued to increase and now he was hearing voices on top of that? Was he truly losing his mind?

"_Kaname…" Supple lips…a hesitant smile…_

Stop! He pleaded. Just stop… A part of him was so strongly yearning for something he thought he might fall into the edges of insanity if he didn't have it. He was indeed missing something, something extremely vital it may as well pertain to his life. It was being forcibly hidden from him, repressed and locked down.

When was it that he'd gained something so important? When was it that he'd lost it? What was it?

And who was it that was calling for him so sadly? Who was it that was calling for him, their voice so painfully tender?

Who…

What are you to me?

Kaname rolled onto his back, his breathing still fairly labored. What was he doing? What was happening to him? He was supposed to keep looking for Zero's whereabouts—

"_Kaname…" A trembling delicate tenor…_

"Zero…?" Kaname breathed, eyes lost.

* * *

The knife clattered to the floor.

"Damn it," Zero hissed, looking down at his finger as blood started to prickle through the thin cut. Sucking on it lightly, he bent to pick up the knife, splashing it with water it and soap before using it again; knowing his finger was already healing.

He wasn't a genius in the kitchen, but he wasn't a clumsy idiot, especially with a knife, either. Letting out a sharp sigh, he decided not to think too much into it and continued with preparing his own lunch.

"Hey, got any for lil' ol' me?"

And apparently, Synclair's as well.

"There's enough," he answered tersely.

"Thanks kid," he grinned, taking a seat at the counter, his eyes following Zero's form. He suddenly asked, "So 'til when do you think I should keep my perfect disguise?" He blew a few strands of honey blond away from his face. "I don't look so bad as a blond," he smirked, "but James hates it, ya know?"

Zero pursed his lips, not pausing from his cutting, which might or might not turn to shredding if Synclair didn't keep his mouth shut. "Until you leave," he muttered out. And I won't have to suffer from seeing your damn face.

But, annoyance besides, "You mention Jamie a lot," Zero noted. Synclair didn't seem the type to base his appearance on someone else's opinions.

As though reading his mind, the older vampire grinned childishly. "James' the first to ever tell me he liked my eyes." The color of his irises were tamer now, but when he was much younger, with his magic still uncontrolled, it snapped at others easily and his already disturbingly bright crimson eyes would take on an unnatural glow that worked to keep other vampires his age away out of fear and abhorrence.

As European vampires were all once human and didn't change physically even after being turned (no special 'upgrades' on that unwanted nose or figure), someone like him, with such eyes… As a human, he was abandoned for being claimed the child of a demon. No one trusted him, no one wanted him, and certainly no one thought him good enough to compliment. That didn't change even after he was turned.

He'd wandered aimlessly, alone, for a few decades before Jamie found him.

"_My, what brilliant eyes…"_

Zero chanced a curious glance at his current teacher and raised a brow at his sappy expression before turning back to his cooking. So Synclair had an eye color complex or something? There was nothing wrong with his original eyes, in Zero's opinion, but that could be because he was (damn Kaname) extremely biased.

Shoving away memories of warm wine red eyes, he continued to focus on getting his lunch ready, dumping in the vegetables he'd cut and diced into a pot, distracting himself in the familiar sizzling and moist steam rising out of it. They weren't involved in a lesson right now, and Synclair had even gone so far as to keep his blond hair and blue eyes just for the sake of Zero's comfort, he shouldn't be thinking of Kaname so much.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, you got any free time next week?"

"What?"

"Thursday would be pretty ideal."

"Why?"

"To spread your face. Let people know who you are, and all," Synclair shrugged. "It helps, believe me, especially for job offers. A lot of our skills are just for hire and nothing's permanent, so it's best to get around. You get what I'm getting at?"

Zero gave a nod. "But why Thursday?"

"There's this big thing going on that day. Lots of faces."

"Big what?"

"Big," Synclair emphasized with his arms. "As in international big. Not just us, but vamps from all over the place."

Zero tensed. All over the place? "Even from Japan?"

"Japan?" Synclair frowned. "Dunno; lot of the Asians like to keep to themselves." He scratched his cheek. "Not a lot of us like 'em though. Stuck up bunch, most of 'em."

"Not all of them," Zero muttered. Synclair raised a brow, but didn't comment. "So, you free that day?"

Well, if there weren't going to be Asians, the chances of him meeting anyone that he knew were slim to none. While he'd been with Kaname, the pureblood hardly attended public functions, much less international ones. He was worrying over nothing. "…Yes."

"Good, instead of training exercises, we'll go to that thing then," the older vampire decided.

* * *

Yuuki stopped mid-blow and the sharp sound from the whistle came to an abrupt stop. She blinked. Ichijou-sempai smiled and waved. Realizing she was staring for far too long to be polite, she gave back a jerky wave. Where was Kaname-sempai?

As though reading her mind, the blond noble sent her sympathetic smile. Yuuki frowned. So was the pureblood all right? Maybe he was just busy with something? He seemed to be preoccupied with something nowadays…Kaname-sempai had much more to worry about than school matters after all.

But she also knew she'd been rather distant with him since Zero's departure and could only muster up a bit of guilt for that. Besides, she wasn't conceited enough to believe she held that much sway in his life for him to notice. He always had much more pressing issues to worry about, she was sure.

Letting her mind wander, she wondered how Zero was doing. The photo album Jamie-san was kind enough to send had helped both her and the chairman cope better with Zero's loss. The vampire still sent pictures every few days. The latest batch had Zero curled up with the twins on a large bed, one of them against his back and the other to his front, their cherubic face pressed contentedly against his stomach. It was her current favorite.

Another that had her feeling a twinge of jealousy had two girls with him, one smiling gently, combing his hair, and the other putting up a handsome shirt and checking the length of one of the arms. Zero sported an irritated embarrassed flush to his cheeks, lips down in a fierce scowl. The description caption had stated the two girls were Jamie-san's daughters. Yuuki dearly hoped she had a proper chance to meet them to gain more possible blackmailing info on Zero. A trading of knowledge, she nodded. It was only fair, really.

"Yuuki! Kuran-sempai wasn't here today, do you know why?" A rather shrill voice interrupted her future plans.

"Eh?" She blinked. "Erm…well, no. I think he might be busy with other things."

"You don't think he's sick or something?"

"I…I don't think so," she laughed nervously. Kaname-sempai was a vampire after all. Not even the bubonic plague could so much as place a small dent in his physical health. As a pureblood, he was untouchable from human disease.

The group of girls wilted. "Do you know if he'll be here tomorrow?"

"Maybe?" She hedged, eager to get out of their clutches.

"Are you sure?" They pressed.

"I'll, I'll promise to check on him, ask him directly even," she sighed, already forming a formal apology to the pureblood in her mind. She hated the thought of intruding on whatever he could be working on. If it was important to take a night off from school, it must be fairly significant, most likely vampire-related.

"Oh thank you, Yuuki," they swooned, nearly making her roll her eyes. Girls could be so ridiculous sometimes.

* * *

She'd probably get glared at by the other vampires again for this, but even the chairman seemed worried, so… Yuuki tiptoed up the stairs and headed to where she knew would be the pureblood's rooms.

Could it be possible Kaname-sempai wasn't just swamped with work? That it was something else? It was hard to imagine. She'd always seen Kaname as a person that was almost detached from the world around him, his looks far too perfect, his manners far too composed and politely gentle for any mistakes to slip through. It was easy to see him as someone who was incapable of fault.

She knew that was just how he wished to be seen, but he did such a good job of it even she started to think it might not just be another face he was forced to put up. All she had to do was remember their times together to be convinced otherwise, however. The loneliness she'd seen his eyes, so deep she was afraid she'd get lost in it with no way out couldn't come from someone perfect, for a perfect someone would also be perfectly content, and Kaname was far from such.

"Kaname-sempai…"

She hesitantly touched his door. He was here, she was sure, but… Her fingers lightly brushing against the knob, she pursed her lips and took a firmer hold of it, gently turning it to see if it was open. If he wasn't going to answer the door, she would just have to let herself in. It wasn't something she'd have normally done, but the look on the chairman's face had her doubting her initial decision in just leaving.

She'd already lost Zero. She didn't want the same for Kaname.

"Kaname-sempai?"

The room was…empty?

"Kaname-sempai?" She raised her voice, though she knew with his senses, there really wasn't a need for it.

If he was even here…

About to call for him again, she blinked as she caught the shape of a foot behind the long couch. She stood frozen for a moment before paling and dashing forward. "Kaname-sempai!"

Oh god, what had happened?! Her hands hovered above him, shaking and indecisive before she shook her head and leaned over to pat his pale cheek. Please wake up…

* * *

Thank you for reading, especially if you've made it this far! :D I didn't mean to make Kaname suffer like that, no, but...well, things kind of came out that way *scratches head* Bad Zero! Well, things will probably be moving a lot faster from now on, and Zero will probably be in a lot of trouble once Kaname gets a hold of him...though Jamie would probably be like :D along with the twins, chairman, and Yuuki when that happens. Yagari, will of course be something like D: *XD*


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Well, hope y'all had a nice Thanksgiving! Gotta say, there's nothin' better than your mother's food :D Can't get enough, really *still chewing on apple pie*

Warnings? Rushed, no Zero (kyaa, the horror, right?), and the omitting-ness of small details that might make you go 'wut?'

And I don't own Vampire Knight.

* * *

**Heartfelt Sacrifices**

**Remembering You**

"So he's learning well?" Jamie smiled.

"I say he's making a lot more progress now," Synclair agreed. "I was worried there for a while, but looks like everything's all right."

"Excellent, thank you, Syn."

"And James," Synclair looked up from his cup. "About that Thursday…"

"Hm?"

"I decided to take the kid with me."

Jamie blinked. "Zero? Why that's wonderful! A chance to meet so many faces," gem like eyes twinkled. "You're really taking him under your wing, aren't you?" He patted the younger vampire's hand. "I'm glad to see you're letting him into that tiny house you call your heart, little Syn." He laughed lightly. "I think it was getting a bit too cozy with just you in it, no?"

"It's always had you in it, too, James," Synclair smiled wryly. Jamie's eyes softened, as did his voice. "I'm honored." He murmured.

"You were the one who gave me that little house in the first place, James," wine red eyes lowered to look down into the teacup, nearly drained of its contents. "If it weren't for you I wouldn't have a 'house' for me rest in."

"Oh it was always there, you just needed a little help finding it," Jamie shook his head. "I think I really made the right choice in choosing you as Zero's instructor. Both of you—" He cut himself off as he tensed, his eyes widening.

"James?"

"I'm sorry Syn, we'll discuss this at a later date." He got up, pressing a quick chaste kiss to Synclair's cheek before taking off.

* * *

"Chairman…" Yuuki trembled helplessly.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki, but…this…" He turned to the Ichijou heir. "Are you sure it isn't anything physical? What else could cause him to turn out like this?"

He'd just been having a bit of tea with Touga when Yuuki had burst into his office the night before, just managing the words, 'Kaname-sempai', 'floor', and 'won't wake up'. Upon rushing up the Moon dorms, true to his daughter's words, the pureblood was out cold and hadn't made a twitch since.

They immediately had the vice president called out of class to inform him of Kaname's condition, and Takuma, initially paling at seeing his childhood friend in such a way, sent Yuuki and the chairman out to call the rest of the nobles back as well. He'd only given them a brief explanation of what was going on with the exception of a select few, who were now most likely driving themselves up the wall with worry.

"I've done the best I can, chairman," the blond shook his head. "Time is all we can give." When the weary ex-hunter still kept his gaze on him, the noble pursed his lips and sighed, wilting. "We," he started, "or rather, I was hoping you would know anything about what could cause something like this."

"Um, what, what about blood?" Yuuki leaned forward to gently place her hand over the unconscious pureblood's. "If, if he needs someone to—"

"I would never let you, Yuuki-chan, and neither would Kaname, you know that," Takuma smiled fondly, "whether it's from a cut or a direct bite. And yes, we've tried that route as well, one of the firsts, in fact. The most troubling was that the blood didn't even make it down his throat before he automatically rejected it."

It'd been alarming to see Kaname suddenly cough everything back up, the blood trailing down his chin as his body did its best to rid itself of the foreign substance. After a while, the mere scent of it seemed to disturb him, he'd turned his face away from their efforts. Ruka, in particular, didn't seem all that surprised, but was devastated nonetheless.

"Rejected it?" Yuuki murmured, internally wondering how that worked. If there was anything a vampire, especially a pureblood, needed during a health crisis, it was blood, wasn't it? Why would Kaname-sempai reject something his body so desperately needed to get better?

"Who was it offered by?" The chairman asked quietly. It may be that it wasn't the blood itself that was the problem, but whom the blood belonged to that might make the difference. And if it came down to that, Yuuki might really have to donate some of her own, due to Kaname's emotional attachment for her.

The chairman held in a sigh. This was turning into a tricky case of vampiric Sleeping Beauty.

Only with the blood of his beloved will the prince deign to awaken…

"Just a few of us," Takuma started, "Ruka, Akatsuki, Hanabusa, and myself." He tipped the names off onto his fingers as he said them.

"His closest nobles…" The chairman nodded. Of course, they would be the most obvious choices, but if even they were unable to bring about any changes in Kaname's condition, then Yuuki—

"Kaien, Yuuki dear, I'm terribly sorry I could not make it any sooner," the gentle, lilting voice the two remembered was rushed with guilt and worry.

"J-Jamie-san!" Yuuki stood up, eyes wide. Her surprise and confusion was clear, but the moment he pouted playfully and spread his arms, she couldn't keep her eyes from stinging as she let out a shaky laugh, coming forth to tentatively wrap her arms around his slim waist.

She almost asked why he was here before recalling his words as he came in, and took a glance back towards Kaname. "Can, can you make him better?"

"Yes, and I'm afraid I had an unwitting hand in putting him into this state. I've no words, no excuse for letting it happen." He murmured apologetically, stroking her hair. Feeling sharp nails against his neck, he looked up into stormy bright green. "If you want for your pureblood to recover his mind, you will let me see him." He said calmly.

"His…mind?" The slight hitch in his voice indicated he hadn't considered something so serious.

"His memories are being loaded with information at an incredible rate. Every word, every gesture, every emotion he's ever felt, are making themselves known." Jamie said solemnly. "A whole year and a half's worth of memories, at the least."

"Are you saying someone, someone had Kaname's memories—"

"Yes, though not out of ill intention," the older vampire smiled. "Yet, for the seals to so suddenly break down in this way is a might wee dangerous. He will suffer no permanent damage, of course, but I imagine it's very possible he's in a great deal of pain."

"Kaname…"

"Now, now, I only need to make a few adjustments to fix all of it, so no need to fret, little ones."

The chairman smiled. "It's all right, Ichijou-kun, we can trust him."

Jamie didn't bother to wait for an approval from the blond as he stepped further up to where the pureblood was resting. Gently setting Yuuki down on one of the nearby chairs, he drank in the sight of his son's life mate, eyes not missing a single detail.

Mm, he inwardly hummed, so this was Kuran Kaname. He…

Had a remarkable resemblance to little Syn, he blinked. From the endearing brown curls to the smooth line of his jaws, the similarities were startling. He briefly wondered if Syn was aware of the fact, but could hardly imagine Zero voluntarily telling him he looked like a long lost sibling of his life mate. Shaking his head with a smile at his thoughts, he slowly reached out, brushing the vampire's long locks out of his face to rest his palm on his pale forehead.

"I'm sorry dear one." He murmured, smoothing the cracking seals with a wave of his magic, "He would have never wanted for this to happen intentionally. But you already know that don't you?" He smiled as dark lashes fluttered and was granted a sliver of exhausted, but no less desperate wine red eyes.

"Where…?" My, my his voice sounds terrible, Jamie noted, even as the pureblood's hand moved at an incredible speed to latch onto his neck.

"I wish I can return him to you, but it's not up to me, you understand," Jamie smiled sadly, knowing whom the younger vampire was demanding for. Placing his hand on the larger one currently wrapped around his throat, he gently chided, "And you need to regain your strength, little one, it's all you can do to keep your hand from shaking." The grip hardly felt threatening. "If you wish to bring him back, you must first get better."

"Tablets…" He felt completely parched. If he didn't do _something_ to quell his urges...

Jamie shook his head. "You are _his_," he emphasized, "I will not have you taking something so terribly lacking. You are a growing child, yes you are, don't give me that look, and anyhow, this is not something artificial nutrients can take care of." When wine red eyes narrowed to slits, he smiled, "my blood is his. You will have no trouble."

Takuma moved to interfere at the foreign vampire's implications, (did he know what he was about to do?), but was politely stopped by the chairman.

Pursing his lips, he half-heartedly held himself back, watching as the petite vampire leaned down, pulling the ribbon from around his collar and undoing the first few buttons of his cream-colored dress shirt.

"I apologize, from the bottom of my heart, the first to see you and the first you take from, after so long, isn't him," Jamie whispered, voice inaudible to all but the person he was speaking to, before he tilted his head, sweeping his locks out of the way.

At feeling the young pureblood's hesitation, he smiled, innocently murmuring, "He's waiting for you," and that was all that Kaname needed before sinking his fangs in.

Jamie hummed comfortably and closed his eyes as he cradled the younger vampire's head against his throat, silently wondering if the gods would allow him for one last intervention. He wished for a way for his son and his life mate to be able to once again meet each other on neutral ground.

Somewhere other than his home or the academy…

"Child," he smiled, gently gaining the little one's attention, "I will reach a personal invitation to you for an event, and I would very much love for you to attend. Until then, you must take care to rest fully."

Taking in another mouthful of magic filled blood, Kaname gave the slightest of nods before going back to suckling at the older vampire's neck.

The foreigner's blood didn't taste anything like Zero's, but it still _felt_ like that of his bond mate's. Kaname would have liked to question how that could be possible, but considering the circumstances, he was grateful for whatever relief the vampire's blood granted him from the beast inside him clamoring for its bond mate.

"I also know most of this mess came about from your concerns for him," Jamie continued, "you were reluctant to tell anyone simply because you thought it would cause him unneeded strife. Your positions are much too different, their standards much too rigid, and your influence can only reach so far, no? But I would like this matter solved completely, and that includes pesky little stains that must be cleansed off. You take care to inform those of your own faction and leave the others to me, do you understand?"

"Why…" Why was this vampire so willing to help?

"What father wouldn't go to the ends of the earth to ensure his child's happiness?" Jamie answered matter-of-factly.

Kaname's eyes widened. "Your blood…" He eyed the puncture wounds he'd just healed. This vampire was now Zero's—

"Yes, that is why. Now, have you taken down everything I've told you?"

His mind much clearer with the help of the other's blood, the pureblood nodded firmly. "Excellent," Jamie licked his lips, "now then I must get to those stubborn dirt stains." His smile this time was all teeth his eyes glinting. No one got in the way of his children and that included the self-absorbed nosy little vampires of the Japanese council.

He pressed a chaste kiss to the pureblood's forehead, tucking a few of the younger vampire's wayward curls behind a pale ear. "I hope you'll not feel disinclined to indulge in a father's protective instincts some time soon. I wish to know more about the one my child has chosen," he said in a sudden change of topic.

"Though bear in mind," he grinned playfully, "I'm not easily impressed."

Before Kaname was able to give a proper reply – he didn't know about being in possession of any impressive qualities, but he was sure his love for Zero was unmatched – the older vampire hopped off the bed and proceeded to peck a few kisses to the chairman and Yuuki, as well as Takuma, before fading out of the room with a cheery wave.

"What…?" Takuma raised a hand to his just-kissed cheek and felt his mouth fall open. "Who…?"

"Well…" The chairman and Yuuki exchanged a glance. How to go about explaining this… Really, the petite vampire was still as spontaneous as ever.

* * *

Ichijou Asato, sitting comfortably at his desk one moment, drew in a gasp and was nearly falling over his chair the next.

Steadying himself with a quick grasp at the edge of his desk, he glared up at who dared to take him off guard in such an unsightly manner and froze.

His unexpected visitor grinned. "I see you still remember me, little Asato. How long has it been? What, maybe a century? Or is it a century and a half?" He causally leaped over the desk between them and sat himself along the armrest. "It's amazing how time just flies, isn't it? I still remember you as the impatient little noble trying not to trip over his shoes."

"What—"

"You so liked that cute fluffy duck, I remember that too. Mr. Rain was his name."

"What are you doing here?" Asato demanded, trying to keep his mortification to a manageable level. He didn't dare let color rise to his cheeks at having his…childish attachments revealed aloud. "I thought you were done with council politics, Michaels-sama."

"I'm here for personal reasons, little Asato," Jamie smiled. "Why don't we have a proper heart to heart, as father and guardian? It's important to follow tradition, after all, don't you think?"

"As father and guardian? Michaels-sama, what could you be referring to?"

"Oh, don't be so formal, little Asato, just call me Jamie. We're practically in-laws now!"

Asato choked.

* * *

"So, this Jamie Michaels character just…"

"He left with Zero three? Three and a half? Months ago, yes," the chairman nodded.

"And that's…allowed?" Takuma questioned dubiously. He'd certainly never heard of such a rule.

"The papers state Zero is simply away as a transfer," the bespectacled man said dryly, his expression indicating he most likely hadn't been the one to initiate the legal work.

"To which school?" He was more curious than accusatory. Because really, a transfer… And to a foreign country… The blond's mind unwittingly sang with bright possibilities. If the students here were also given the same opportunities…

"A large school in Europe. England, I believe."

Europe… A cultural network, that place was. He'd rather prefer the Americas himself, but for the chance to actually learn something, he couldn't care less about where. "Is that true? Is he really attending such a school?" He asked, intrigued.

"I believe so," the chairman smiled. "Zero is being taught things he cannot possibly gain here. It's a good experience for him."

He let himself indulge in a bit of envy before focusing back on the main problem. "And how does this tie in with what happened to Kaname?"

"Everything," the pureblood finally spoke up. "The reason Zero left is because of me. The reason for his interest that took him away to…Europe is me."

"Kaname?" Takuma frowned concernedly.

"Takuma, I'd like you to gather those needed to this room immediately. I've some information that should have been shared long since. I also wish to ask for some help and I cannot do so without explaining some things first."

The blond noble didn't hesitate, nodding as he left.

"Kaname-sempai?"

"Yuuki, this concerns you as well," Kaname turned to her, eyes apologetic. "I've nothing but my own cowardice to blame for not being able to tell you sooner. You, of all, deserved to know the moment we realized what we'd stepped into."

"What is it?" Were they secret mafias or something? She couldn't help but try to lighten the situation with the amount of heavy atmosphere that'd plagued her for a day, and especially after Jamie-san's departure, which she'd felt a steady amount of hope.

"I have no other way to tell you this." Kaname smiled wanly. He held no reservations now; he had nothing left to lose, not anymore. "For the last year and a half," he closed his eyes, taking a breath, then opened them again, his gaze straight, "I've harbored romantic feelings for Zero, and we've shared in an intimate relationship."

Yuuki blinked once, twice, then frowned in thought. Kaname tried to keep his heart steady, mentally readying himself for any and all possible reactions.

But all his dear girl deigned to say was, "So then…the reason Zero left…really _is_ because of you?"

Ouch. It was true, of course, he'd said it himself, but… "Yes." There was no denying the assured guilt in his voice.

Yuuki frowned, upset at Kaname looking as though he deserved every verbal assault that might come from her or anyone else, and she wouldn't have any of it. She doubted it was all Kaname's fault anyhow. Things like this… Well, didn't they usually say both parties were healthy contributors? Half of the blame was for Zero to shelter as well. They each had their part to bear, and it wasn't fair for Kaname to feel responsible for everything.

"Really? And why do you think so, sempai?"

This time, Kaname met her eyes in what seemed like surprise. "Why… I," he paused, "I never told of our…relationship to those who needed to know. That," his voice turned flat with the effort of keeping the pain out of his tone, "that could only have hurt him. Gave him the assumption that I was…ashamed of our connection. That it was something we needed to hide out of embarrassment."

Yuuki gave a slow nod. "Not being able openly tell the person you love about how you feel is painful, sempai," her lips twisted with sympathy. She'd been there before. "And thinking the person you love was ashamed of being seen with you, that you're not good enough to be with them…" She trailed off, her own heart clenching with an all too familiar ache she herself was well acquainted with. She'd been there, too, she swallowed, been there all too many times…

To think Zero felt like this for so long… Yuuki tried to blink the sting out of her eyes. She really, really wanted to go and wrap Zero up in the biggest, tightest, warmest hug she could offer. Tell him there was nothing to fear, he was more than good enough, probably too good, he was beautiful, he was kind…so overwhelmingly kind…

"He," Kaname cleared his hoarse voice, silently thanking Yuuki when she handed him a glass of water, "he most likely thought of my reputation, my appearance as a pureblood first and foremost. What the elders would want for someone with my status." His words ended with barely a whisper, weighed down by his emotions. The water hardly did any good to the tightness in his throat and nearly threatened to choke him where he sat. He could barely get the liquid down.

Yuuki could only nod, her heart in one with Zero on his thoughts. She'd felt the same hesitancy, the same distance, the same longing pain at the realization that Kaname would always be different, at least to other people, to other vampires. And being faced with those judging eyes, the suspicious, accusing stares weren't at all easy to bear. She understood it was easy to crumble under such pressure, to feel as though the world was against you, but…

"You both chose to do it," she said firmly. "You both decided on it for your own reasons. You didn't flake out; Zero wouldn't either. So sempai…is that really all?" Really? She wasn't doubting Kaname per se, just that those reasons couldn't be everything.

Zero, despite all the self-hatred and anger he projected, had a conviction of steel. If he said he'd do something, you knew he'd get it done. If he said, she swallowed, if he said he'd stay with you forever, he would do anything to keep that. Zero wasn't one to enter into a relationship (with a vampire of all people) half-heartedly. He wouldn't break because of peer pressure in the middle of it. Not when he was fully committed. At least, she didn't think so. It was just hard to imagine.

There must have been something else. Something that held a stronger wave of persuasion.

"I can't think of any other possible reasons," Kaname shook his head helplessly. He could hardly set his emotions straight, much less bring order to his mind. His thoughts, his memories…just flashed with events, moments, everything he'd been forced to forget.

And throughout it all, all he could see was Zero. His entire being, all that he was, just screamed for the younger vampire. A yearning so strong, yet so painfully familiar, he both welcomed and drowned in it.

The only safe things he could recall without going on a rampage were the younger boy's smiles, genuine and sure, solid and pure. But even those…even those ate away at his control, already laid threadbare ever since realizing he hadn't had his bond mate for over three months.

"You'll see him again soon, for sure, sempai," Yuuki's soft voice, filled with assurance helped to ease his anxiety, and he tried to focus his attention on something else. Anything but Zero and the nights they spent together or the scent and rich taste of his blood…

"But Kaname-sempai," Yuuki began slowly, her memories recalling her first meeting with the European vampire and his words regarding Zero's reasons for leaving. "Jamie-san said Zero left to protect someone precious to him, someone…someone he loved enough to throw his life away for," Yuuki continued, her words careful, "and I don't think he was just talking about the living or dying thing." She fiddled with her sleeve. "Zero gave his life here, at the academy, away for that precious person. Now that I think honestly about it, I don't think he intended to come back…" Those letters had felt too final.

Not come back…? Kaname couldn't of think such an outcome. It just wasn't possible. His mind, his heart, his soul wouldn't be able to take such abandonment. They mated for life. It was one or nothing at all. One person. Kaname wasn't ashamed to admit, even if others claimed he wasn't good enough for Zero, even if he himself felt the same, he didn't have the courage or kindness of letting him go.

She looked up. "Maybe he thought you were in danger? Was someone threatening you sempai? Or…" Her mind worked overdrive, thinking of how anyone could get Zero to leave Kaname's side if the pureblood was in imminent danger. Wouldn't Zero try to stick close to Kaname if that were the case? Why would he…? "Or…" Her eyes widened with dread. This was like a drama romance, something she thought only happened in novels or on TV. "Did someone tell him to leave?" She finished. "That to-to keep you safe, he had to go?" Could that have been…?

Kaname blinked in confusion at Yuuki's sudden theory. Why would anyone tell Zero that leaving would keep him safe? And besides, "That can't be possible," he said lowly, "we, Zero and I, never told anyone of our relationship. There was no one that knew enough to force such a decision from Zero."

The female prefect sighed. That was true. "You guys did really well on that," she smiled wearily. "Not even Ichijou-sempai seemed to know anything." And the blond was the closest to Kaname. "I didn't either." And neither did the chairman. She chanced a brief glance in his direction.

"But," her smile grew warmer, tendered with affection and an almost unbearable amount of empathy, "it was because you both loved each other so much you put in so much effort to keep it secret. And Zero," she let out another long, soft sigh touched with care and patience,

"For that precious person, for you, even if he were never to see you again, even if he had to change the way he lived, he wanted to protect you. To go so far…" She hoped her expression was as reassuring as she wanted it, "I think you're extremely lucky, don't you think so, sempai?"

Kaname didn't know if he should laugh or cry, his hand pressed across his eyes, shaking his head. "Zero…" In the end, it came out half-choked and incredulous, his precious vampire's name flowing out like a desperate prayer.

_Zero, Zero, Zero…_

* * *

The vampires outside of the room all paused, their hearts clenching at the myriad of emotions they could feel through the door. It was pouring out in waves, Hanabusa blinked rapidly and Ruka buried her face into Akatsuki's shoulder, her lips trembling.

Takuma faced the door with a tremulous smile, giving his childhood friend a moment to compose himself before they entered.

* * *

"Kaname-sama…with a turned hunter?" Asato prayed this was a nightmare.

"Not a nightmare, little Asato." Jamie smiled. "And I ask that you leave them be. You don't even have to give your blessings. Neither of the young ones hold you in such high regard, if at all, so it's unnecessary."

Deciding to ignore the slight to the state of his personal relation with Kaname as his 'guardian', he pursed his lips before carefully asking, "And if I refuse?"

The very air in the room seemed to constrict, limiting his respiratory functions. "You would dare to even mention such a possibility? Because of course," gem-like eyes frosted over, narrowing in cold pity, "you would never let yourself be deluded enough to consider it seriously." The older vampire tilted his head in a deceptively innocent gesture, "But if we were to go down that road, which is most unwise, I think it's needless to say," here he smiled softly, the slight quirk of his lips sharp with mocking gentleness,

"You'll not only have me to watch out for, but the whole of Europe's Gifted, little Asato; and you're aware, compared to the European faction, your little council is…" He gave a genuine pause. "What would be a fitting comparison?" Briefly letting his gaze wander, it slid down to the small wastebasket that was placed not too far off, and his smile widened amusedly.

Asato's pale eyes followed his line of sight effortlessly and the noble had to keep in an infuriated flush from rising to his face, as well as the near homicidal rage that threatened to tear his fangs right through that slender neck laid so temptingly close.

"That's enough, Jamie-sama." He practically snarled out, his voice steaming with indignant anger, "I fully understand the implications."

Power plays were something that came naturally to every vampire and hierarchies based on strength were nothing new regardless of race. Each large continental community had their own standards and rankings, but most made sure to stay aware of possible rivals outside of their natural borders, calling for a continental hierarchy.

With their source of energy differing slightly for every community (blood, magic, spiritual aid, etc.) it was difficult to decide whether which held more advantage over the other, but power was power, and, unlike Asia, the strength of a vampire depended solely on how flexible one was with utilizing the supernatural gifts they were given.

With their fixed class system, Asian vampires were hardly at the top of the food chain internationally, and although it was a long-standing fact, it was still a difficult concept for him to accept, having been a direct witness to just how powerfully destructive a pureblood vampire could be. How could those belonging in class A, no matter how small their number, be so inferior compared to the rest of the world?

But more than that, he knew, if he were to elicit the anger of the most powerful names in Europe, there would no place for him to run or hide, and no one to help him. What was even more frightening was that he knew Jamie Michaels' connections didn't just extend to his own fellow Europeans, but to other branches of the world due to his profession.

He would not just have Europe after him, but any title holding vampire with worth and influence to their name would be wanting for a piece of him.

Gem-like eyes glittered. "Splendid! I'm ever so glad we managed to conclude this in a favorable manner." The petite vampire clapped his hands for emphasis on his elated mood. "And another thing, little Asato," he tapped the noble's nose, ignoring his twisted scowl, "Zero is a level D no longer, but my son in all but blood."

Pale blue eyes slowly widened in dawning horror, coming to see just how true the words, 'in-laws' described their current relations. Though it was obvious both he and Jamie were loath to acknowledge the other as anything resembling family.

"Yes, I see where the realization is starting to sink in." There was a simple nod of satisfaction.

"Your—" Son?! And not by blood, meaning…by magic?

Asato could literally feel the blood draining from his face. A hunter, a _Kiryuu_ hunter, last of his line, now a vampire, already a future menace with his unique ability to maintain his original heritage along with the enhancements that came with his turning, was now in possession of _magic?_

The boy was an abnormal mutation, a freak of nature. There was no way such things should be possible. No way such a being should exist. Asato couldn't even have the assurance of a natural death, as the boy was a level D no longer. He would have the same lifespan as any regular vampire… No, his logic supplied uneasily, with his genes now being a strange concoction of three contradicting attributes, it was possible he would live for far longer.

Maybe even as long as—

He mentally shook his head. Dear everything that was holy, he hoped not.

But regardless of the boy's mortality, with Jamie Michaels at the boy's front, sides, and back, the biggest leverage he could've held against Kaname was now gone. In fact, he thought with a grimace, if either one of them went crying to the European vampire about any suspicions on Asato's part, whether they be true or not, his ass would be fried, sliced, diced, cooked and turned to ash before he could even utter out a, 'What?'

"No one hurts my children, dear Asato," Jamie's smile was now darkly amused – at his thoughts most likely, "you know this well; if not from personal experience, then from that of others'." He leaned forward to casually take a sip out of Asato's teacup, humming lightly. "And I don't mean this for just Zero, little Asato, but for young Kaname as well, you understand. As my child's chosen mate, he is to be my son as well." He gave an affectionate sigh, taking another leisurely sip, "my girls, they will be delighted for sure, I have no doubt, with another charismatic boy to add to our family tree." He suddenly turned a rather giddy smile in Asato's direction, "Aren't I just the luckiest father? The heavens have blessed me with absolutely wonderful children."

The noble contemplated the consequences of rolling his eyes, but immediately saw it as something beneath him and settled for a derisive snort in his mind.

Jamie's idiotic adoration of his children was legendary. He was immensely protective of his fledglings and there were many that'd had their lives ruined by making the simple mistake of turning against a Michaels child. Asato could even go as far as to say the reason for Jamie's extended connections was solely for that reason.

With such a strong web work at his beck and call, there was no one that would dare to call Jamie's children a weakness. Not to mention, the children themselves weren't exactly helpless brats either. He wasn't much for rumors, but some still managed to slip past to his ears, and the utter chaos a certain pair of twins was supposedly capable of nearly sent a chill down his spine.

Jamie was a Terror, and Asato didn't doubt he'd raised his children to be just as horrendous. It was with immense regret to be forced to let Kaname be influenced by such a dysfunctional family, but his hands were tied. He'd benefit not an ounce by going against Jamie's wish for political refuge for his son, and Kaname was hardly turning out to be the obedient pureblood he'd wanted.

He supposed, grudgingly, that it would have only been a matter of time before the younger vampire chose to openly act against him anyhow, and at least with this, it'd give them both a clean cut without any potential political embarrassment to suffer or recover from.

Not to mention, he wasn't foolish enough to think Kaname wouldn't outright kill the entirety of the council if only to get them out of his hair. The only thing holding him back from doing so was probably the sheer amount of work that would be required in the aftermath, as Asato knew Kaname wasn't one for assuming the role of "king" if he could avoid it.

Though Jamie's threats were very real, in some ways, he was also nipping the bud of a very tempting opportunity before it was able to bloom fully to bring him nothing but pain and destruction. After all, threatening the Kiryuu boy's life in order for Kaname to bend to the council's will was an easy thing to do.

Looking up tiredly, he gave the older vampire (still on his armrest) a weary nod. "I shall never interfere on this account, Jamie-sama, and neither should anyone else." Just keep your obsessively protective instincts at a safe distance.

"Thank you Asato," Jamie murmured, going without the irritable 'little' before his name for the first time during his visit. "I'm glad to see you've learned to be more flexible. You made many children cry in your younger years, being so inanely stubborn," he smiled, eyes softening with remembrance. "You've seemed to have raised a fine grandson yourself. Little Takuma is a total contrast to your hellion ways," he leaned in for a lightening quick peck to the noble's right cheek as he vanished, leaving behind a more than peeved Asato.

* * *

**O.M.A.K.E. (A 'what if' when Kaname told Yuuki about he and Zero XD)**

"I've harbored romantic feelings for Zero, and we've shared in an intimate relationship."

Yuuki blinked then blinked again before muttering, "Damn, that means I was wrong."

"Pardon?"

"The bet, sempai, the bet!" She suddenly cried. "Ugh, now I owe Yori-chan lunch for a whole week! Dessert too!" She sent him a glare. "Why couldn't you guys have ended up together _next_ year?"

* * *

Thank you for reading! *bows* Hope some of you made it this far :D

**Regarding Jamie's sudden take off towards the academy: **protectiveness, really, to put it simply. With Kaname being so important to Zero, he made sure to keep an eye on when those seals broke, and as Zero used _his _magic for those seals, he just kept a monitoring system type of thing to let him know how the seals were keeping up. The 'alarms' were what went off while he was talking with Synclair, hence his tea time rain check.

**And with Kaname's more or less placid attitude towards Jamie:** He was pretty out of it, felt terribly guilty, and surprised by the other's willingness to help. Once he gets more time to digest everything that he knows, he might or might not be headed for a little chat with Yagari XD An angry territorial pureblood vs just as angry protective hunter? It might be too much for me to handle, but I'll give it a try XD Regardless, it's better to have Yagari's freely given approval rather than have Jamie pay him another visit *an impish Jamie stands at the ready with Cross as hostage - "Surrender or I'll kidnap this one too!" Cackle*

Yuuki may also have a few opinions regarding Kaname and Zero's relationship, as she hardly got any chance to really think on it here, but they'll hardly be negative. She was pretty focused on helping Kaname rather than letting her mind wander on her own thoughts on the subject. She won't suddenly turn into a slash fangirl or something, but she won't be turning into one of those psycho bitches either *snort* Though I don't mind the image of Yuuki with a huge machine gun XD


End file.
